To Catch A Spy
by BubblesAndThings
Summary: Cammie is captured by a mysterious organization. Can the gang save her? More importantly, who and what is this new threat? ZAMMIE! XD Rated T, because just like everyone else, I'm paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

Fill in the blank: Cammie Morgan + desk job = _

I know what you must be thinking: Cameron Ann Morgan, AKA Cammie Morgan, AKA the Chameleon, doing something _boring_? Never.

But yes, it is true, ladies and gentlemen: I, at a ripe old age of nineteen, have been stuck on desk duty.

I was in New York City, where Langley had decided to plop me down, working as the receptionist for a big medical corporation (a cover for the CIA). I had no purpose to the CIA at the moment. The only good thing to come out of it was that Bex, Liz, and Macey were also there. They were at different branches, so we tried to get together once a week.

I sat at my desk, hating that my "office" was at the front of the building. I had already dealt with a mother that had a screaming baby and a cranky woman who had a serious hygiene problem, and it was only 11:00. I typed away on the creaky, old company-issued PC (I'm really much more of a Mac person), and frowned as a slurping sound indicated that I had no coffee left. I could have sworn that I only had a sip…

I sighed again and got up to go to the break room to get more. The memos could wait.

As I made my way to the elevator, my phone buzzed, and I pulled it out. It was a text from Macey. Even though we all had Liz-approved security installed on our phones, there's nothing bad about being paranoid, so the text read like this:

Hey guys, 5 PM, my place? XD I have a surprise!

- Peacock

I smiled and texted:

Sure! Mite b late cuz of a few memos…-.-

- Chameleon

Within a few moments Bex and Liz had replied:

Aw Chameleon loosen up! ;) I'll b there!

- Duchess

Me 2…but I don't blame Chameleon. I'm snowed under with paperwork!

- Bookworm

Flipping the phone closed, I grinned to myself. At least there was something to be looking forward to.

6 hours and quite a few coffees later, I finally shut down the laptop and packed up my things. Feeling immensely happier that I was done with my 9-to-5 workday, I walked out of the building, my heels clicking on the pavement. I stood near the road and hailed a taxi, and then immediately wished I hadn't.

When the taxi pulled up, I stifled the urge to turn around and walk away. The taxi driver didn't look that bad. I mean, he didn't have piercings or tattoos, or a gun anywhere in plain sight. But there was something about him that made me wary. I squashed the feeling, telling myself, _Get a grip, Cam. What kind of idiot would ambush you in plain sight, traffic hour in New York City?_ Then I climbed into the car.

Or rather, tried to. The instant I set foot in the taxi, a dark shape sprung at me. I ducked and whirled around, faster than conscious thought. And suddenly there were five. Then ten. I emptied my coffee over two of them, and swept my leg under another and knocked him out. But there were too many. A bag was pulled over my body. As I was dragged under, I couldn't help but think: _Bex is gonna kill me for this._

Bex POV:

Even though it had been only a week since I had last seen my friends, the desk job wasn't cutting it. I couldn't believe that I was stuck at some boring publishing company. Hello, _Baxter_ and _dull_ don't even go in the same sentence! Anyway, at least Macey had promised a surprise, and I was eager to discover what she had in store.

Standing on the soft luxury welcome mat in front of Macey's apartment-slash-mini-mansion, I rang the doorbell and listened to it reverberate throughout the house. Macey appeared within seconds, grinning from ear to ear. She was dressed in a slinky, red, cocktail dress and some diamond drop earrings. After hugging, she grinned mischievously and said, "I told you guys I had a surprise, right?"

Liz peeked out from the other room timidly and said in her soft southern drawl, "Yes…?"

Macey gestured for Liz to come here, and said proudly, "And as soon as our dear friend Cam arrives, we're all going on dates!"

Liz gasped audibly, her mouth falling open in surprise. Her eyes widened and she stammered, "Who…wha…"

I smiled as I started warming up to the idea. It had been ages since I had gone out with a boy, and even if it didn't amount to anything, it was going to be a seriously welcome distraction from my work. If you can even call what I was doing _work_.

Liz found her voice and said, "Mace, we don't even know them! What if they're terrorists? What if they're the Circle? What if they're…"

"Normal boys?" Macey rolled her eyes at our friend's worrying. "Relax, Liz! The Circle was exterminated a long time ago, and besides…I ran into them at my cover office. They're operatives too."

At this moment, our phones dinged, and we pulled them out simultaneously.

Sorry, can't come tonight.

- Chameleon

I frowned a little. It wasn't like Cammie to just not provide any excuse. But there was no time to ponder that now. Macey dragged Liz and I into her gigantic bathroom to get ready.

Cammie POV:

They hauled me into the taxi, and it was silent for exactly three hours, twelve minutes, seventy-two milliseconds while they drove me to who knows where. I was completely bound and gagged and blindfolded in the bag. Dang, they were good.

After that, I was pulled through a bunch of hallways (left, right, left, left) until I felt them drop me. They pulled the bag off, and unblindfolded and ungagged me. I was sitting in a square, sterile white room. The only furnishing was a glass table at the other end of the room, and one of those leather swivel chairs. Except this swivel chair was encrusted in yellow diamonds. _That must be a pain in the butt_, I thought. Harsh fluorescent lights lit up the space.

A man sat in the chair. He turned around, and I saw that he was wearing a red mask and a black business suit. The mask completely covered his face so the only thing I could see was his mouth and eyes, but it looked like liquid metal.

There were other people, dressed in all black with ski masks standing around me. My mind was racing, adrenaline flooding my veins. I was aware that I was ungagged, and I was about to say something when a goon handed the red man a bag.

My bag, I realized. It had my folders and files for business in it, but it also had some gadgets. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be afraid that they had put it in plain sight, or hopeful.

The red man fished around in the bag and pulled out something. My phone.

The red man held my phone and smiled. He spoke for the first time, and his voice sent chills down my spine. It was gravelly and rough, but had the unmistakable undertones of evil. Pure evil. There was no other way to describe it.

"Need to make a call, Cameron?"

I managed to spit out, "Do I even get reception in here, Spiderman?"

"I would expect nothing less from the daughter of Matthew Morgan," he chuckled. Then, he nodded to himself and typed in the password.

The. Password. To. My. Phone.

Now I was in complete shock, because _my phone_ had the most high-tech and secure security in all of the CIA. I knew that for a fact because a.) Liz was the one who secured it, and b.) Liz has hacked into the President of the United States' phone and the director of the CIA's phone.

So this meant that Mr. Spiderman might have been a crazy lunatic, but he was a _really good_ crazy lunatic.

While all this was running through my head, Red Man mused out loud, "Hm…how about Macey McHenry, Rebecca Baxter, and Elizabeth Sutton?"

My heart just about stopped, and I shouted, breaking my façade, "Don't hurt them!"

Red Man laughed loudly, flashing his teeth. Very white teeth, as a matter of fact. "Oh, Cammie dear, I'm simply going to alert them that you won't be attending your little gathering tonight. You will be very…busy."

My face hardened and I prepared myself for the worst. Torture. No spy really ever goes into the details of it, not even at the CIA. But no spy ever gives up information. And I certainly wouldn't.

"You can torture me all you want. I'm not saying anything," I said defiantly.

Red Man laughed again, which was somehow scarier than if he had yelled at me. "We'll see about that, Chameleon."

**Hi everybody, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my story...this is my first fanfic ever! Constructive criticism is welcomed. :) If you get the chance, please review. THANKS SO MUCH! 3**

**- BubblesAndThings**


	2. Chapter 2

Liz POV:

After the torture (AKA makeover, courtesy of Macey McHenry) I was standing in front of the mirror, staring at myself wearing a blue skirt and a white blouse, blue colorblocked wedges (Macey knew by now that if she put me in stilettos, I would inevitably injure myself), and a crystal necklace. Macey had done my makeup. Bex was wearing a one-shoulder little black dress that showed off her curves, pearls, and sky-high black platform pumps. Mace had done her makeup also.

Macey clapped her hands together and said, "We're ready! I wish Cammie was here, she would look _gorgeous_."

I agreed, but for different reasons. Cammie and I could wallow together in misery of Macey's fashion escapades. The difference was, Cammie would actually look really good.

Macey pulled something up on her state-of-the-art laptop and slid it over to us. It had pictures of four guys, with names.

"How did you get this, Macey?" I asked.

Macey smirked knowingly. "You've taught me some, Liz. The CIA database had this much. These are the guys we're meeting. And, Nick is…" she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

Bex raised her eyebrow at Macey's suddenly slightly possessive tone. Macey didn't usually have an interest in guys, because although they were all falling for her, they were never good enough.

I peered at the screen. First, there was a boy who half-grinned at the camera. His hair fell over his eyes in a very boy band-esque way, and the name read **Nick Cross**. This was Macey's boy, then. Second, there was a boy with a face that looked like a Greek God, and blonde hair. I noticed Bex staring at him and the name read **Grant Newman**. He didn't seem like anything special to me. But then again, I rarely think that any boys are special. Next, a boy with brown tousled hair that was smirking: **Zachary Goode**. I passed him over, too. Last, I saw a boy with glasses who made my heart stutter in a weird way. I shook my head, and saw that his name was **Jonas Anderson**. Macey noticed me staring at his picture, and smirked.

"Yeah, Liz, I had a feeling that you would like Jonas. He looks like your type."

"Wh-what? I d-don't even _have_ a type!" I protested nervously.

Bex grinned knowingly. "Sure, Liz."

Macey threw the smirk Bex's way. "And what about you, Sexy Bexy? I saw you looking at Grant…" she trailed off as Bex punched her, partly out of embarrassment, and partly out of calling her that nickname. And Bex punches _hard_.

Bex retorted, "And Nick? It's the first time I've heard you actually mention a boy seriously."

I piped up, eager to get back at Macey, "Yeah!"

Macey stalked out the door. "Let's go, guys."

Grant POV:

"Damn, when are these girls gonna get here? And where the heck is my food?" I asked.

Nick rolled his eyes. We were waiting at a fancy restaurant for the girls that Nick had set us up with. Not an ideal place for a first date, if you ask me. But Nick's the chick expert; he's had twenty girlfriends in the past year.

Zach smirked. "Grant, these are actual _girls_ we're talking about."

"Hey, no need to hate! It's not like you've gone out with many girls anyway."

"More than you have, I bet," Zach replied, still cool, still smirking.

Jonas's quiet voice interrupted our banter. "I think they're here."

Three girls were making an entrance to the restaurant. I laughed to myself that someone in our group, Jonas probably, wouldn't have a date. Then I my eyes landed on a dark-skinned bombshell, and I stopped thinking.

Jonas POV:

I'm not really into checking out girls and dating like the rest of my friends, but hey, that doesn't mean I don't have a heart, either. I noticed the girl hanging in the back. Elizabeth Sutton, Nick said her name was. She was beautiful, but she seemed shy. The question was: was she as shy as I was…

Macey POV:

As soon as we walked in, I saw a group of four boys sitting at a table, staring at us. And I saw Nick. Wow, he was even hotter in person. _Snap out of it, Macey!_

I lead the girls to the table, and said coolly, "Nick Cross?"

Nick raised his hand and said, "Yes, Ms. McHenry. That's me." He knew my name…they had also done research on us.

Grant, I thought, discreetly cuffed Nick (and from the way Nick rubbed his arm, it must've hurt, too) and said gallantly, "Nick, that's no way to introduce yourself. I'm Grant Newman." He smiled dazzlingly at Bex, and pulled out a chair for her, taking care to flex his muscles.

Bex flipped her hair, gave a half-glare to Grant, and sat delicately on the chair. I noticed Jonas doing the same for Liz, albeit more nervously.

Nick stood up and said, "Well, Ms. McHenry, I guess I'd better be a gentleman, then. Would you care to sit?" I glared at him and sat in the proffered chair.

Then I noticed the last boy who hadn't spoken yet. "Oh, you're Zachary. Sorry, Cammie couldn't make it," I told him.

Zachary smirked and said, "Did you show her my picture too soon? Rookie mistake. Girls get intimidated by my sexiness."

Despite his words, I didn't miss the flash of…something in his eyes, and I didn't think Liz or Bex did, either. But I let it pass.

"So, have you ordered yet?" Bex asked.

Grant smiled, eyes lighting up at the mention of food. "Yeah, we did."

Bex POV:

I sat at a meeting the next day, not really paying attention to what the manager was saying, and doodling Grant's name on a sheet of paper. Suddenly, my phone vibrated, and when I secretly pulled it out, the number was from Langley. I stood up abruptly, and said to the manager who was spouting goop, "Sorry, sir. It's an emergency," and walked out.

"Hello, sir. Duchess speaking."

"Hello, Duchess. We have an urgent mission for you. Pack for an indefinite period, and your cover will be emailed to you shortly."

"Thank you, sir. I was about ready to get out of this place."

I could hear the smile in the director's voice as he said, "Good. That is all," and hung up.

I was about to text Liz, Macey, and Cammie, when a message popped up on my phone:

CAMMIE'S MIA! DETAILS ABOUT MISSION IN EMAIL!

- Peacock

I hurriedly ran to my laptop, and sure enough, a new email was waiting:

**Operatives:** Rebecca Baxter (Duchess) – Ava Reed

Elizabeth Sutton (Bookworm) – Olivia Taylor

Macey McHenry (Peacock) – Kloe Davis

Grant Newman (Zeus) – Levi Walker

Jonas Anderson (Brainiac) – Asher Roberts

Nick Cross (Player) – Benjamin Thompson

Zachary Goode (Phantom) – Carter Miller

Ava and Levi – dating

Olivia and Asher – dating

Kloe and Benjamin – dating

Carter – single

**Cover:** Operatives are college students going to visit Atlanta, Georgia to spend winter vacation.

**Objective** – Find and rescue Cameron Morgan (Chameleon).

I tried to scroll down more, but there wasn't anything else. Geez, it was short – but that was to be expected. Search-and-rescue missions rarely have a set format, mostly relying on the instincts of the operatives. I smiled as I contemplated kicking ass for Cammie, and I packed up my things and opened my phone at the same time.

Walking out of the stuffy building, someone picked up. "Macey?" I said. "We need to go. Now."

**Hey everybody! Thanks so much to my first few reviewers...I love you guys! :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Constructive criticism is appreciated, and thanks for reviewing!**

**- BubblesAndThings**


	3. Chapter 3

Macey POV:

"Macey! Thank God you're here!" Liz breathed as I sat down in my seat on the airplane. Even though it was first class, it was tiny. Ugh. I wish the CIA had time to charter us a private jet, but if this means getting me to Cammie faster, I'll take it any day. Well, maybe not _any_ day. Maybe Wednesdays. I hate Wednesdays.

Bex leaned over from next to Liz and whispered, "We'll be touching down to Atlanta in two hours. The guys will meet us at our hotel, Savannah Suites. Try and get some rest."

I nodded, hoping but afraid to ask that the Savannah Suites was at least a four-and-a-half-star hotel. The director should know my preferences by now. Then, I pulled my designer sleeping mask over my face, pulled up my Gucci down comforter, and tried to sleep.

Liz POV:

Within a matter of minutes, Macey and Bex had fallen asleep, judging from the snores from Bex's end. I shivered, feeling very secure between them, but unable to relax. I sighed and tied my hair up in a messy ponytail. Might as well put this energy to work. It was research/hacking time. Whatever it would require to get to Cammie.

Exactly one hour, fifty-one minutes, twenty-six milliseconds later, I tried to shake Bex and Macey awake. Bex turned over in her seat, and muttered something about "Grant…cookies…mine…" and Macey simply pulled her blanket above her head, hiding her face.

"Bex! Macey! WAKE UP!" I whisper-yelled. Then I poked both of them.

Bex was the first one to snap awake, automatically rising into a fighting stance, and then slumping back down when she realized where she was. Macey groaned and sat up. "What, Liz?" she said tiredly, rubbing her eyes.

"I found something!" I whispered, gesturing to the computer screen. "Look!"

Bex's eyes widened as she took in the screen. "Liz…how did you get this?"

"Well…to make a long story short, I hacked into the text that Cammie's phone sent us, and since I programmed the security, I found where she is using the GPS tracking system…and…yeah."

"It could be a trap," Macey whispered.

I nodded. "I know. There's a 78.96% chance it is. But it's the only lead we have."

Bex bit her lip, her itch for battle warring with her built-in caution as a spy. She finally said unwillingly, "We could…wait…for a while."

Macey frowned. "But every second we delay just pushes Cammie into more danger. I say we go. Even if it is a trap, we can still kick some ass and find out something."

I nodded. "Then, let's get ready."

At this moment, the captain's voice came over the speakers: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. The plane will be landing shortly in Atlanta, Georgia. Thank you."

Bex turned to Macey and me, wearing her trademark "this-is-going-to-be-fun-in-a-kickass-way" face. "Let's go get Cammie."

Grant POV:

"Where the _hell_ is my toothbrush?" an angry voice came out of the bathroom.

I sighed, sprawled on the bed. "Right where it always is, Nick."

"That's _your_ toothbrush! I have a blue one!"

Zach walked in, smirking as always. "Well if Nicky needs a toothbrush, here it is." He flipped him a toothbrush.

Nick caught it without looking, all of our reflexes razor-sharp. "This is mine!...why is it wet? _Did you use it_?"

Zach just smirked at him, sitting on the chair in front of me. "Have any idea when the girls are coming?"

"They should be here by two…Langley sent us an email."

Jonas looked up from the desk. "They're checking in right now."

I got up. "Did you hack into the hotel mainframe again, Jonas? What a stalker…"

Jonas blushed and defended himself, "Hey, it's for security purposes! Plus, the security here is so bad, it was like taking candy from a baby."

I muttered while opening the door, "Do you know how hard that actually is?"

Zach peered down the hallway with me. "…And that is the delightful sound of Miss Macey McHenry screaming."

Nick rolled his eyes as the sounds drifted toward us, not able to completely hiding the spark in his eyes at the mention of Macey.

"AVA! THERE IS _NO WAY_ IN THE DEEPEST PITS OF HELL THAT I'M STAYING _HERE_! MY MAIDS HAVE BETTER HOUSING THAN THIS! GODDAMNIT, A COCKROACH LIVES BETTER THAN THIS!"

"KLOE, SHUT YOUR SPOILED ASS UP AND STOP ACTING LIKE A KARDASHIAN!"

Liz came down the hallway dragging their suitcases, a long-suffering look in her eyes. She burst through the door, and stopped short at the sight of us.

Jonas immediately said, "Olivia, it's you!" He hesitated, and said, "Our…uh…room is next door in 211. We booked four rooms."

Liz's eyes widened as Jonas talked. "Okay, Asher. Um…after we've all settled in, I have something to…um…tell you guys."

Jonas nodded and led Liz away, somewhat awkwardly.

Nick stood up and left, saying, "Someone needs to prevent a catfight."

That left me and Zach. I never knew exactly what he was thinking, but I sensed some kind of inner unrest in him.

"Hey, Zach…" I started, not sure what I was going to say.

Zach looked up at me and smirked. "Go, Grant. I heard you mumbling stuff about Bex in your sleep last night. Something about a British Bombshell?"

Bex POV:

Liz had us gathered in her and Jonas's room, taking out her laptop. Even though I was…happy…to see Grant, nothing was going to stand between me and my mission. It was Baxter time.

Liz pulled up her laptop and turned the screen.

Jonas leaned forward, and you could almost see the gears in his mind turning. He said softly, "GPS tracking system on her phone?"

"How did you know?" Liz asked, surprised.

He shrugged embarrassedly. "Most girls have their phones with them all the time, so they make perfect…um…trackers."

Nick interrupted, "Alright, lovebirds, as much as I know you want to make out right now, we have a – ow!" Macey smacked him. "We actually have a mission. What's the plan?"

"Well, this is a satellite image of the coordinates."

It was a picture of a concrete building with a rutched roof, and the sign said, "ZOO ATLANTA."

Macey said incredulously, "What? Cammie's being held in a freaking _zoo_?"

Liz nodded grimly. "Whoever's holding Cammie must have a base or something there. Jonas…and I can stay here and instruct you on comms while you guys check it out."

I nodded. "Have you hacked into the Zoo mainframe yet?"

"No, but I doubt it'll take long. The question is if it'll show the base inside the zoo."

My mind spun. "Well, at least we can check the place out."

Grant said, "Yeah. How about eleven o'clock tomorrow morning?"

Macey groaned. "Ugh, that's so early!"

Wrapping up the meeting, Liz said, "Okay, meet here at eleven. We'll hand out comms and give you some basic info."

Grant whispered to me, "Popcorn cart, four o'clock."

"Levi, we've already eaten some cotton candy!" I chided affectionately, leaning into him and giggling for show. Not that I minded, anyway. But that was beside the point.

Grant smiled and took my hand. I involuntarily shivered as a spark trailed through his fingertips to mine. We were just two college students, enjoying ourselves in the cool Atlanta air.

My little fantasy was interrupted as Liz's voice crackled through the comms.

"Duchess, Peacock, got anything?"

"No, except for Player here is stuffing his face with ice cream." Macey sighed.

"Last I heard, 'stuffing' doesn't mean you eating half of it!" Nick retorted angrily.

Zach's voice cut through. "Hey, Bookworm…we've got a shadow."

Dead silence.

I knew that Macey was doing a 360 right now, careful not to break cover.

"Hey, Benny," she said in the sweet voice, "can we go see the Giant Panda exhibit later? Please? I've always wanted to."

"Of course, sweetheart." Nick said. "Let's go now."

Nick muttered under his breath, "A man in a black leather biker jacket, earrings, and red bandana."

I took Grant's arm and commanded, "Levi, we're going to see Giant Pandas now. Enough with the food!"

Grant groaned good-naturedly and smiled at me. "Whatever you say, Ava." But underneath the grin I sensed him preparing, ready for anything. Cammie was close. I could smell it.

"Ava! I thought we lost you!" Macey squealed, hugging me tight after we met at the exhibit. In my ear, she whispered, "We lost biker dude somewhere around here."

Liz ordered, "Fan out and look for possible entrances. Duchess, Zeus, take the east side. Player and Peacock, search the northeast corner. Phantom…" Liz faltered, not knowing what to do.

"Don't worry, Bookworm. I have my own agenda." You could almost hear the smirk in Zach's voice.

Grant and I drifted toward the east side of the enclosures, pretending to gawk at the pandas like the rest of the tourists. Grant stopped to tie his shoe, right on top of a metal grate. His fingers brushed it for a split second. After he got up, he whispered to me, "It'll be almost impossible to open. It's reinforced with Alloy 1090, the toughest metal in the world."

"Bookworm, what is the likelihood that a zoo grate is impossible to open?" Macey said.

"Not likely," Liz said, and I knew her fingers were flying across a keyboard, searching. Jonas muttered something to her that I couldn't hear.

Zach had ghosted over to a narrow pathway apart from the crowd marked "Staff Only." He examined the entire thing closely, looking for who-knows-what. Gradually, Macey and Nick joined him.

"Brainiac, Bookworm, I think I found – "

Macey's scream obscured the rest of his sentence. I had only heard this scream once – when Liz accidentally sat on her most expensive pair of Christian Louboutin stilettos and broke the heels.

The whole crowd turned to look. Macey was gone. Grant called loudly while towing me over, "Ben, where's the spider?"

Nick blushed a furious shade and opened his mouth to retort, but the crowd had already dismissed the scream and turned away.

Zach said quietly, "I think we found our secret passageway."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I forgot to put up a disclaimer...whoops.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ally Carter's brilliance (this applies to the whole story).**

Cammie POV:

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

The endless dripping was about to drive me insane. Or maybe I already was. I didn't know…all that separated time was pain. And the dripping of a leak in the wall.

Gradually, they had worn me down. It became a struggle not to scream. Now all I had the energy to do was hang limp.

I thought maybe I would give out soon. When was the end? I wondered. For a second I contemplated giving them information, then immediately dismissed it. I would never. Like my father…I would keep my mouth shut until my death.

My vision blurred suddenly as tears formed. I didn't know why I was crying. Maybe it was because I had pictured my father in this situation so many times. Oh, God, I didn't want to die. I was too young. I hadn't even seen the last Harry Potter movie yet!

Footsteps. I tried to ready myself. Maybe it would be something new this time. I was almost delirious…

Someone came into my field of vision.

It was my dad.

He stopped at the doorway and stared, then ran over to me with a worried, almost desperate, look.

"I'm going to get you out of here, okay?"

I tried to smile, but failed. "It's okay, Dad. I didn't tell them…anything."

He looked startled, but then took out something and started sawing on my chains, while muttering something I couldn't hear.

All I could do was stare down at him as he worked on my chains. Finally, the bottom left one broke apart. My raw and bleeding ankle was suddenly free. But all I could muster was one train of thought.

"Dad…why did you dye your hair?"

He looked up, startled. He paused, and said softly, "…I'm not your dad."

"CAMMIE!" I heard the whisper-scream loudly from his comms. Even in my hallucinating state, I knew that voice. It was my best friend.

Bex raced down the hallway, faster than if there was our chef at Gallagher's famous crème brûlée for dessert (and believe me, that's pretty darn fast). Macey followed soon after, wearing a look of pure determination on her face.

Bex skidded in front of me and stopped suddenly. "Cammie! It's us! We're breaking in!"

I lifted my head and saw through the haze that was my vision. "Bex?"

Macey said, "You never believed we wouldn't come, did you? After all we've been through? And plus, you missed our date!"

Bex rolled her eyes. "Macey, can we cut the chitchat, please?"

The last of my chains broke. Without their strong hold, I immediately dropped to the floor. Not all Catwoman-ish, like I wanted to, but I crumpled.

I was vaguely aware of someone picking me up and carrying me, bridal style. It wasn't Bex or Macey, because this person's arms had strong, muscular biceps and a toned chest. Then the lights went out.

"INFILTRATION INFILTRATION CODE BLACK CODE BLACK" a loud, piercing siren wailed. It was pitch black.

"Fuck. How are we supposed to get out of here now?" a male voice asked. My ears were working fine, it seemed.

"Geez, Nick, it's exactly 300 feet from us to the door," a superior female voice answered.

"Yeah, but –" the voice was cut off by a scuffling and smacking sound. A thump.

"Knocked out a guard. Hey Mace, got any napotine patches?" Bex said.

Through a combination of Liz and Jonas shouting at us through comms, and superior Gallagher spy skills (okay, maybe a _tiny_ bit was Blackthorne. But that's beside the point) we finally made it out of the dungeon where I was captive. After unscrewing a pothole cover, we popped out of the ground and into a parking lot.

"Ahh…air…where are we?"

"The freaking zoo parking lot! Bookworm, Brainiac, where's the van?"

"And call Cammie an ambulance! She has some serious injuries."

I gasped slightly as my carrier person shifted my weight. My throbbing pains came back in full force. "Hurts…" I managed to mumble.

Here's the thing: good spies never admit to pain.

A needle full of something was injected to my arm. I had the vague impression of someone sweeping my hair back from my face, and I closed my eyes.

Zach POV:

Liz said, her voice strained, "Copy that. Ambulance should be meeting you at the corner of zoo." The sounds of furious typing and clicking were heard.

Jonas added, "It's an ice cream truck."

Macey grumbled, obviously disgruntled with the cover, but the frown quickly faded when she looked down at Cammie, still lying in Zach's arms.

Bex whispered, more to herself the girl lying in my arms, "Hold on, Cammie."

Zach POV:

I paced around the small, sterile, white room, right outside of the operating room. My ears detected a small, persistent beeping sound. The sound of Cammie's heart.

It had been about thirteen hours since Cammie had been wheeled on a bloody stretcher into that room. About thirteen hours since I had a pulsing headache. About thirteen hours since I had not said a word. About thirteen hours since I had started worrying my head off.

I had never met the famous Chameleon in person before, but I had heard the rumors and the stories. She wasn't half bad. One of the most capable spies in the CIA, if not the best. Then again, that wasn't counting me. My files would almost certainly be of higher clearance than hers. Cammie didn't have anything to hide.

_Spies always have things to hide_, the little annoying voice at the back of my head told me. I pushed it away.

People say that I'm hot, attractive, and sexy, and I know it. I've always been fawned over by girls, even gone out with a few. But it was different compared to what I felt when I saw Cammie. I didn't know what was happening to me, but it was definitely not what I had felt with my ex-girlfriends. I really didn't want to think about it, so I ended up worrying about her survival instead.

_Flashback_

I was running down the halls, in spy mode. I was Agent Goode, on a mission. And Agent Goode never fails missions. That's why I'm the best. This mission just happened to be to save another really good spy, but that was just a detail.

I was checking each room, looking for the girl that matched the photo I memorized earlier. She didn't look like anything special. Actually, she looked downright average. If I passed her on the street, I wouldn't give her a second glance.

And then I came to a dungeon-like room, with nothing but a chair in the middle and someone shackled to a wall.

I skidded to a stop, and carefully took out my saw. I got ready to break her out. Then, I got a good look at the girl's face.

My heart stopped. That picture didn't to her justice at all. Her face, even bruised and bloodied, was more gorgeous than anything I'd ever seen. Her blonde hair, dirty and torn, still had some of its shine and luster. _Damn_, that girl was hot.

_Snap out of it!_ I thought. I was getting distracted. And distraction means sloppiness. And sloppiness means failure.

Her head hung down low, and I couldn't stop myself from whispering, "I'm going to get you out of here, okay?" I knew it was wrong to do so. I was getting emotionally connected. But I couldn't resist.

When I received no response, I started sawing at her shackles. From a glance, some of her wounds looked really bad, so she might have been delirious.

I stopped when her voice, still musical but croaky, said, "Dad?"

_End Flashback_

So now, I was stuck in that same white room, wondering how anyone could make me feel this way within that short amount of time. And it kind of added to the stress that that someone was in intense surgery.

Grant rolled his eyes at me. Bex had fallen asleep an hour ago, her head unconsciously on his shoulder. He hadn't said anything about it, but I knew he was enjoying it. Macey was asleep too, except she refused to let Nick touch her. "Zach, stop pacing!"

I didn't say anything, just continued.

"She's going to be okay." Jonas said quietly. Liz was typing on her computer, and letting out a sniffle every now and then. Jonas stopped talking to me when he noticed a tear had fallen down Liz's face. He moved his hand to hers slowly, and touched it. She looked at him for a second, and then burst into tears and leaned into his shoulder. Jonas looked bewildered and stammered, "Liz…uh…do you need some tissues?"

I smirked at the pair, and then stopped immediately when the door of the operating room opened.

Hola, everybody! I noticed that I didn't have many reviewers for the last chapter, so I would appreciate it if you guys reviewed a bit more...maybe 5 this time? Pretty please?:)Love you guys!

- BubblesAndThings


	5. Chapter 5

The doctor (CIA, of course) looked trim and pressed in her scrubs. I wanted to shake the _shit_ out of her.

Nick must've seen the look on my face, so he got up and said, "Uh…doctor…"

"Morris."

"Right. Dr. Morris…how is our…friend?"

Dr. Morris took a breath and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "It was touchy for a long time…but we think she'll pull through."

Nick whooped, waking Bex and Macey up. Macey punched Nick on reflex. "Wassamatter, dipshit?"

"Geez, bitch, chillax!" Nick said, rubbing his arm. Macey narrowed her eyes. "Cammie's going to be okay!"

Macey hugged Bex and Liz so hard that Bex was gasping (and that takes a lot). Liz squealed, "She's going to be okay!"

I demanded, "Can we see her?"

Dr. Morris crossed her arms and said firmly, "Absolutely not. She is still in critical condition."

Bex looked like she was about to throttle her, but Grant said, "Then when can we?"

Dr. Morris sighed. I was beginning to hate this lady. "A week, maybe two?"

Macey growled, "A _week_? My best friend just had _surgery_, and I have to wait a _fucking_ _WEEK_?"

Nick held her back. He sent a somewhat reassuring smile to Dr. Morris. "I'm sure we can work out something…how about in two days?"

Dr. Morris frowned. I sent one of my sexy looks at her, the one I know the girls melt for, and she said, "…three days. Minimum."

TIME SKIP THREE DAYS LATER

We got back the hotel with an asleep Cammie wheeled in on a hospital bed. The nurse had warned that she would be very tired when she woke up.

"W-where…am I?" she croaked, jerking awake. Her mouth sounded like it was full of sand.

Liz rushed over to her, and suddenly, I was by her side, too.

"You're safe, Cammie. This is me and…Jonas's hotel room."

"W-who's Jonas?"

Liz blushed and stared at her shoes.

Bex said, "Cammie, how are you feeling?"

Cammie grimaced, and I felt the urge to do something, to wrap my arms around her and make it all better. I forcefully squashed the urge. She said, "Kinda crappy…but not as much as when we have wrestling matches."

Bex cracked a smile, and the tension in the room broke.

"Alright!" Macey said. "Liz, Bex, Cam, and I are going to my room."

"What for?" Nick asked suspiciously.

"None of your business," Macey answered, wheeling Cammie out, Bex and Liz following her.

The door closed with a dramatic thump.

After standing there like idiots for a few seconds, Grant said, "So…"

"We need to know what they're doing!" Nick exclaimed.

"For once, I agree with you, Nick." I said.

Jonas offered, "There's an air vent there," he pointed, "that probably connects to Macey's room."

Grant said quickly, "Zach volunteers to do it!"

And that's why, five minutes later, I was crawling through an air vent, with a comms unit in my ear and a tool belt around my waist.

"Okay, Phantom, turn left here. Macey's room should be the second vent on the right."

"Why didn't you tell me these vents are so small?" Vents are part of a spy's life. They're practically a rite of passage. However, they weren't exactly comfortable.

Nick said, "Cry me a river, Phantom. Even _Jonas_ could do a better job than you!"

I growled under my breath, getting to Macey's vent. I peered through a metal screen plate, and saw Macey, Liz, and Bex sitting around Cammie's bed. They were all talking.

I slowly reached to the tool belt around my waist and withdrew a tiny bug, developed by Jonas in our freshman year. These were high sensitivity bugs that could hear things from very far away. Well, farther than the average bug, anyway. I slowly slipped the bug through the screen and secured it. I tied the wire next to the vent, and started to crawl back.

"Mission accomplished. Brainiac, you should be getting audio about now."

"Copy that. Hey, Grant, Nick!"

I slipped out of the vent and onto the floor. Grant and Nick were clustered around Jonas and the sounds coming from his computer.

I drifted toward them too, and listened.

"Bex, get Cammie some water!" Macey said.

"Thanks, Bex…" a weak voice answered. "So, what…about this…date?"

"You should've been there!" Macey scolded. "Instead, we had to come rescue you. Anyway," she continued, "I set up all of us with some guys from the CIA."

"You set up _Liz_?" Cammie's disbelieving voice said.

"Geez, Cammie, have a little faith!" Bex laughed.

"No, it was horrible!" Liz said. "They made me wear _wedges_, and a _dress_, and _jewelry_, and Macey tied me to a chair and did my makeup!"

Cammie coughed. "Ugh. Sounds like it was good that I wasn't there."

Bex said, "Anyway…so we met the guys at some fancy restaurant."

"_Le Bernardin_." Macey said. "Good seafood."

"_Anyway_…" Bex continued, "I totally – "

"Hold on, guys." Macey said. "I see something."

"What?"

A rustling sound, and then Macey whispered something even this bug couldn't pick up. We all leaned closer, and then –

"HELLO, BOYS!" a booming sound came out of the computer, and I swear, even though we had all received strict Blackthorne training, we all jumped a foot.

"I SEE YOU'VE BEEN BAD BUNNIES," Bex's voice screamed. We all winced. "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU USE A HIGH SENSITIVITY –" then, the audio dissolved into static.

Jonas slumped in his chair. "So much for that, then."

Grant looked scared. "What are they going to do to us?"

Nick tried to look cocky (nice try, but it only works with me) and said, "They can't do anything to us."

The door burst open and a voice said, "Wrong."

Bex stalked in with Macey, looking murderous. Liz trailed behind, unsure of what to do. Bex glared at us, and in a flash, Grant was rolling on the ground, groaning.

"Fucking shi…what was that for?"

"For bugging our room," Bex hissed. Soon she had us all doubled over, and stormed out.

"Well, then." Nick said, but since we're all spies, we heard his voice shake slightly.

Grant slumped in his chair. "So…"

He seemed to realize the déjà vu of his words and said quickly, "I think we shouldn't try that again."

I nodded solemnly.

Cammie POV

"Geez, why are boys so annoying?" Bex asked the air.

"Because they're _spy_ boys," Macey said matter-of-factly. She plopped onto her bed on her side of the room (I could tell because it had cosmetic products all over it). She picked one up, shook it, sprayed it in her hair, and said, "Anyway, Bex, what's going on with you and Grant?"

Bex snorted and said, "He's hot, but I don't think anything's happening."

Macey said, "No, I definitely think he likes you. He's always looking at you, and don't tell me that you don't like playing his girlfriend."

"Eh, that was nice. But his nickname for me is annoying."

"He has a NICKNAME for you? Okay, that means that he trusts you as a friend…"

"And might like to be more," Liz finished, looking up from her "Boy-to-English" translator.

Macey asked our nerd friend, "Liz, why did you bring that anyway?"

Liz shrugged and blushed. "It's a new prototype that I'm working on, and I want to see how it does."

Macey crossed her legs and said, "Right, Lizzie. And what about Jonas?"

Liz was never a good liar, and her face gave her away immediately. "Uh…um…I plead the fifth!" she said defensively.

I rolled my eyes.

Liz quickly tried to cover the screen with her arms, but Bex was faster. She grabbed the device. Then she laughed.

"'Wow, your firewall is really good!'" she quoted. "Really, Liz?"

Macey snorted. "That Jonas kid needs to take a hint. Of course, Lizzie isn't the best person to do that…" she trailed off.

Liz blushed even harder, if that was possible. "He's…really nice."

"Ah, nerd love," Bex joked.

I asked, "And what about Nicholas, Macey?"

Macey blushed and said, "I don't know what's happening to me, either." She sighed. "He's just…hot. And smart. And mysterious. Did I mention hot?"

My eyes widened. "Macey likes a guy! Prepare for the apocalypse!"

Liz giggled. "Seriously, Mace, this is the first time you've actually said a guy was hot or liked him, anyway."

Macey sighed, again. "I know. Nick's just…special."

Bex laughed. "Right."

Macey said, "Do you think he likes me?" a hopeful look in her eyes.

Bex rolled her eyes. "Please, every guy falls for you. And you're supposed to be the boy expert!"

"I know, but…with Nick…it's different. I can't read him."

I laughed. "Of course he likes you!"

Macey sighed. "I don't know what this feeling is…but I can't stop thinking about him."

"It's because you've never liked a guy before!" Liz exclaimed. "_You're_ our relationship expert. It's called looooove."

Macey sat up from her pillow. "I do not love him!"

"Uh huh. Give it a few days," Bex said.

Macey flopped back into her pillow. She groaned.

Liz patted Macey's shoulder reassuringly. "There, there. It'll be all right. How about we do something to get our minds off of this?"

Bex smiled. "Yeah! Who wants food?"

"Food?" I said, licking my lips. Then I looked down at my bed. "Oh…how can I go like this?"

Macey popped up from her pillow. "The nurse from the hospital gave us a wheelchair for you to use. She said you had to rest in bed for a day, but…" she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "I think it's worth it go see Zach."

"Zach?" I said. "Who's that?"

"Who's Zach?" Bex practically yelled. "Only your soul mate!"

Liz said, "He came on the mission with us. He's the guy that found you in the cell."

"Oh…" I said, pretending to understand.

Macey grinned. "And he's hot. So I have to get you ready."

I immediately had all sorts of mental pictures of her curling my hair, picking out an appallingly slutty outfit, and doing my makeup for hours. I cringed. "But I'm injured!"

"No excuse." Macey said cheerfully. "There's a hot boy waiting for you!" She started wheeling my stretcher into the bathroom.

"Save me!" I yelled to Liz.

Liz stopped Macey. "The doctor did say that she couldn't do anything strenuous…"

"Makeup isn't strenuous!" Macey insisted.

Bex raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but _your_ style of makeup is."

Macey frowned, sighed, and then relented. "I'll leave off the mascara, okay? But _only_ the mascara."

I must've looked pretty pitiful in my hospital gown as I was wheeled away.

"Don't take too long!" Bex yelled after us.

**Hello peeps . Sorry if this chappie was a little too fluffy, and also if Zach is OOC…I have no idea how guys think at all! Thank you for all of your reviews! We didn't end up getting to 5, but how about shooting for that this time? KTHXBI**

**- BubblesAndThings**


	6. Chapter 6

Cammie POV

"Ow, Macey, what is _wrong_ with you?" I shrieked, dodging the tweezers again.

"Hold still!" she commanded, grabbing my chin. "Your eyebrows need plucking!"

Finally, after an hour of agony, Macey triumphantly pushed me out of the bathroom. "Ladies, and gentlemen, my work here is done."

I was wearing a pink flutter-sleeve blouse, white skinny jeans, and bright yellow Converse. Bex wolf-whistled. "Cam, you look hot!"

Liz smiled at me. "You really do look good, Cammie."

Normally, I would have brushed off their praise, but I had just gotten out of a prison and the hospital. I was a lot skinnier and paler, but I admit, having Macey dress me up made me feel the _teeniest_ bit better.

Macey walked to the door, and Bex grabbed the handles of my wheelchair and pushed me out to the hallway. I just sat uselessly with my hands in my lap, instinctively not liking the feeling of being moved without my consent. "When do I get out of this stupid thing?" Cameron Morgan does not depend on _anyone_.

"After a week or two," Bex said cheerfully.

Liz said to me, "Cammie, it might take a while for you to walk. But," she paused, her eyes twinkling, "the doctors don't have my special Skele-Gro cream." Skele-Gro was something that Liz had invented at our sophomore year of Gallagher, under the guidance of Dr. Fibbs.

Bex said encouragingly from behind me, "You'll be out of the wheelchair and kicking ass in no time!"

Just then, Macey rapped loudly on the door to the room next to hers. After a few seconds, the door opened, and a disheveled guy in a Metallica shirt said rudely to Macey, "What?"

Macey snapped, "We're going to get food, Nick, if you guys want to come."

Nick's eyes widened. "Oh…okay." He looked at me. "Is that…Cameron?"

I managed a weak smile. "That's me."

Nick nodded and said, "We're coming." Macey huffed as the door closed in her face.

"He's so…_rude_," she said.

Bex shrugged, wheeled me to the elevator and pushed the button. She waited a few seconds, and stabbed the button again. And again. And again.

The elevator door opened, finally, and I felt Bex grasp my wheelchair until another voice interrupted, "I think I'll get that."

I turned around awkwardly in the chair, and saw a tall guy with dark brown messy hair, a smirk, and gorgeous, piercing green eyes. "Who're you?" I said, trying not to get lost in his eyes (however cliché that sounds).

He smirked at me. "The name's Goode. Zach Goode."

"Did you just reference James Bond?"

He smirked again and wheeled me into the elevator. "I'm better than James Bond."

As the rest of my friends got in, I caught Macey winking at me and mouthing, "chemistry".

A tall, blonde, ridiculously muscled boy with blue eyes looked at me and smiled. "Hey, I'm Grant Newman. Excuse my friend Zachary here. He gets…annoying." I smiled as I shook his hand, noticing Bex watching Grant.

"I'm Nick," a voice said gruffly from the corner, the one who Macey had yelled at earlier.

"And I'm Jonas," the least muscled and shortest boy said. He had glasses, and I figured that this was the boy Liz was crushing on.

As Zach wheeled me down the street, I couldn't help but notice his muscles. The way his biceps flexed as he was pushing…

"Like what you see?" Zach smirked down at me.

I blushed furiously and turned back around. "There's nothing TO see."

I didn't have to look to know that Zach was smirking. "Keep telling yourself that, Gallagher Girl."

"_Gallagher girl_?" Macey asked incredulously.

Zach shrugged nonchalantly, as if four incredibly lethal girls weren't within a twenty-meter radius of him. "Yeah. Didn't you guys go there?"

"Whatever you say, _Blackthorne Boy_." I said, guessing that he had gone to the premier school for boy spies. I could tell by Macey's snigger that I was correct.

Bex stopped in front of a black, modern-looking restaurant. The sign said _Flip Burger_. "Is this okay, Cammie?"

"Sure," I said. "I could go for a burger. Or a couple."

As Zach wheeled me in, I caught a few stares from people. Crap. I would have to get used to my role as a handicapped person.

Bex sauntered up to the waiter and said in her American accent, "A table for eight, please."

The waiter stuttered at her. "Um…of course. Outside or inside?"

"Outside," Macey said.

"Certainly. And do you need anything for the handi – " He was cut off by Bex's glare. Liz stepped in. "She'll be fine, thanks."

The waiter led us to a nice table outside of the restaurant, gave us menus, and left. I thought he was a bit scared of Bex.

Macey plopped down in a chair and glanced around. "Not bad, but not close to a five-star."

Bex shrugged and propped her feet up on the table. Everyone else sat down. Zach wheeled me to the edge of the table and looked down at me, eyes mischievous. He bent down and lifted me up out of the wheelchair, and sat me in a chair next to him. I immediately lost my balance and almost fell off of it. Zach caught me and suggested, "Maybe you should lean on me."

"What?" I growled at him.

He smirked. "Well, obviously you're still weak, so I can provide some…stability."

I hissed in response, "I will _not_ touch you." This would've been a whole lot more convincing if I hadn't almost fallen out of the chair again, causing Zach to have to catch me.

Bex cleared her throat. "Cammie, the doctor _did_ say – "

"All right, all right!" I said. Annoying friends I have.

Zach smirked again and pulled me into him, keeping his arm around my shoulder. I rolled my eyes, secretly relishing the warmth and steadiness he had.

Macey winked at me before opening the menu.

Grant rubbed his stomach as we walked out the door. "Mmm, that was really good."

Bex teased him, "The sixth burger was a dare…I didn't expect you to actually do it!"

Grant laughed heartily, throwing his arm around Bex's shoulder. She automatically stiffed, but he seemed not to notice and said, "I'm a growing boy!"

Nick snorted. "Yeah, and you have been one for the past seven years or so."

"What can I say?" Grant shrugged.

Macey looked around the street, and said, "How about we go shopping? There's a mall right there."

I groaned. "No, Macey, please, no!"

Bex grinned. "We don't have anything to wear, Cammie."

Liz said with a straight face, "They only packed enough clothes to last two days. There's a 99.27% chance of a huge shopping spree happening soon. Why not now?"

"But I just got out of the hospital!" I begged.

"No excuses," Bex said. She grabbed my wheelchair from Zach. "Let's go."

I threw a glare over my shoulder as we walked into the mall. "I trusted you!"

Zach smirked, holding his hands up in surrender. "Even I can't stand against Macey and Bex when they're in shopping mode."

Macey's eyes gleamed as she looked back at us. "Zach, good choice. Maybe you boys should wait for us at the food court."

Grant quickly dragged them off. Zach looked at me, smirked, and winked before walking away. "See you later, Gallagher Girl."

I didn't have time to daydream about that, because Bex and Macey seized me and dragged me to go shopping.

Five hours later, we had visited about twenty stores, including Burberry, Luis

Vuitton, Armani, and Michael Kors. I was totally worn out, even though Macey never seemed to get tired.

We finally arrived at the food court, dragging all our bags. People were looking at us; that's how many bags we had. Zach came to help me, and nodded toward a Victoria's Secret bag. "Want to model what's in there for me?" he said, smirking suggestively.

I smacked him, cheeks reddening. "It's some sweatpants, you pervert!"

"Sure, that's what they all say."

Macey handed me another Victoria's Secret bag, this one full to bursting. "Cammie, this one's for you."

"I didn't even buy this!" I protested.

She smiled somewhat evilly. "I know, I got it for you. Hope it comes in handy later."

I looked into the bag, and saw it was full of lingerie and skimpy undergarments that I would _never_ wear. I groaned.

Macey said nonchalantly, "Oh yeah, and you're sharing a room with Zach."

"What?" I said incredulously. No one had told me about this.

Liz nodded. "We booked four rooms, one for Jonas and me, Bex and Grant, Macey and Nick, and you and Zach."

"How am I supposed to sleep in the same room as _him_?" I said.

"That hurts, Gallagher Girl," Zach said, placing a hand on his heart. "That hurts right here."

Bex rolled her eyes. "There are double beds in the rooms. He'll keep his space."

"He better," I grumbled.

"Don't pretend you don't like the idea," Zach whispered in my ear, sending chills up and down my spine. His voice was just so close…it gave me goosebumps. Whether they were the good or bad kind, I didn't know.

I grabbed the wheels of my wheelchair and tried to push myself away, but Zach smirked and pulled me back easily.

I growled under my breath, and then my world suddenly blacked out.

**ZAMMIE! Before you ask, yes, Skele-Gro is named after the thing in Harry Potter. I don't own any of that. And I apologize if any of the wheelchair stuff is inaccurate, because I have absolutely no experience/knowledge of that whatsoever. ^.^ Thanks for the reviews, guys!**

**- BubblesAndThings**


	7. Chapter 7

Cammie POV:

I woke up to an annoying beeping sound. My eyes opened, and I registered the beam of severe fluorescent lights shining above me. I had a pounding headache and I was very tired, but other than that, I felt fine.

"Cammie! Are you okay?" Liz's voice sounded worried.

"I'm fine…what happened?"

"You fainted," Bex said matter-of-factly. "We rushed you back to the hospital."

My eyes were getting used to the light, and I realized that everyone was clustered around my hospital bed. The girls looked worried, while Zach just smirked, as usual.

"Can we leave now?" I asked.

"Wait a second," a firm voice said. A nurse holding a clipboard came over, her mouth set in a thin line.

"Cameron was supposed to stay in bed for the next two days, correct?" she said, her voice clearly laced with disapproval.

My friends hung their heads. She was so formidable that even Bex looked sorry. "Yes, ma'am," Liz said.

"And you chose to put her in a wheelchair and take her outside. Mmhmm." The nurse tapped her clipboard. "Cameron will have to stay in bed and _rest_ for the next three days, at least. She was exhausted and that was what caused her to faint." She glared at us.

Grant saluted the nurse. "Of course. We'll be sure to do as you say."

The nurse nodded, and gave us one final glower before leaving.

"Let's get you out of here," Macey whispered to me.

Liz POV:

I calculated that if Cammie used my special Skele-Gro cream, she would be out of bed in about one and a half days.

Jonas and I went to our room. I blushed slightly at the thought of "our" room. Ordinarily, Jonas would never want to share a room with a girl like me. He could get any girl he wanted…

My thoughts were interrupted by Jonas saying softly, "Liz?"

"Yes?" My head bobbed up and I hit it on a cabinet. "Ow!"

Jonas rummaged through the fridge and shyly handed me an ice pack. "Liz, you need to be more careful."

I took the ice pack, pressing it to my hair. "I know," I sighed. "Were you saying something?"

"I sent the mission report to Langley, so we should be getting a reply soon."

I blinked in surprise. I was used to sending the reports, because I was the only techy in my friend group. "That's…good."

Jonas nodded quietly and went back to his computer. I rifled through my suitcase, looking for the cream. I clutched the cream and was walking to the door when I tripped. "Oopsie daisy!"

Jonas was suddenly by my side, helping me up. "Are you okay, Liz?" he said.

I looked up into his eyes and was suddenly transfixed…until his voice interrupted me. "Liz?"

I shook my head to snap out of it. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine."

Jonas smiled gently and saw the cream in my hands. "Is that…Skele-Gro?"

"Yeah, it is," I said, surprised that he had recognized it.

"Oh. Wait…are _you_ the inventor?"

"Um…yes?"

"Sorry, it's just…" Jonas blushed and looked away. "I've always wanted to meet that person. We've used it so many times at Blackthorne."

I was shocked. Jonas had wanted to meet _me_, Elizabeth Sutton! I managed to stutter out, "T-thank you…"

Jonas smiled at me and said, somewhat bashfully, "It's tremendously useful and effective, I have to say."

"Oh…" I blushed so hard that I felt like the room was on fire. "Thanks…so much. I'll…just go ahead and…uh…give this to Cammie now." Then, because I couldn't think of doing anything else, I ran out of the room.

Cammie POV:

I groaned and turned in the hospital bed; the flimsy cushions weren't cutting it. I normally wasn't this picky, but I was feeling like I could sleep for days.

"Need something, Gallagher Girl?" I didn't have to look to know that Zach was smirking.

I mumbled something unintelligible and rolled over again. I heard a scuffling sound as the door opened, and a voice said, "Cammie! Here!"

"Whattdya want?" I grumbled, taking a pillow and covering my head with it. Why didn't people understand that they needed to _go away_?

Liz's voice said, "I have the Skele-Gro! You can…uh…use it now. Or later?"

"No, she'll use it now," Macey's voice said, entering the scene.

My headache decided to remind me of its existence in force. "Ugh…"

Zach smirked at me and turned to Liz. "Is she usually this grumpy?"

"Only in the mornings…it takes forever to get her up!" I heard more scuffling and then Macey's voice was abruptly far too close. "This is the only way."

A wave of cold wetness suddenly hit me, drenching my sheets and clothes. "MACEY!" I shrieked, now sopping wet. I turned around and saw Macey standing there, grinning, with an empty bucket in her hands.

"I learned that from Bex. Besides, you know I'm only trying to help," she winked.

Bex sauntered in. "I have taught you well."

Liz said timidly, "Now that you're up, do you want to use some Skele-Gro?"

"Can I change clothes first?" I said, feeling disgusting and soggy.

Liz chirped, "Okay, but don't take too long!"

I climbed out of bed, dripping everywhere. I managed to grab a change of clothes and stumble toward the bathroom. As I closed the door, I heard Zach call, "Don't primp too much, Gallagher Girl!"

I growled under my breath, still feeling tired and seriously cranky. I pulled on some sweatpants and a tank top, and looked in the mirror. _God, I look horrible_. Then I shrugged, because I was too tired to care.

"Cammie! Hurry up!" Bex banged on the door.

I wretched open the door. "What?"

Macey dragged me over to my bed and said, "We're going to slather you in Skele-Gro so you can feel better sooner. Kapeesh? Kaposh."

The bed was so soft. I curled up into a ball. "Mmhmm…"

I felt a weight on the bed, but didn't open my eyes. Zach's voice breathed, "Gallagher Girl, you have to get up sometime."

"No…" I moaned, curling tighter, ignoring his sweet breath on my ear.

Bex's voice said, "Wow, the water thing didn't even work. She must be really tired."

Liz said sweetly, "Cammie, we're just going to rub some Skele-Gro on your arms and legs, okay?"

"Whatever," I sighed, already drifting off into unconsciousness.

I didn't really know what happened after that, but I heard some whispering, and then the door closed. I was vaguely aware of Zach opening the cream, and his first touch on my arm. I shivered slightly and hoped he didn't notice. After that, he slowly rubbed circles in silence, while I slipped into sweet slumber.

Macey POV:

I slipped out into the hallway with Bex and Liz. Bex yawned and said, "How about we all…just…sleep?"

I checked my internal clock, surprised that it was already 10 at night. I nodded and opened the door to my room. "See you guys later."

Nick looked up once I walked into the room, gave me the half-chin-jerk that all guys seem to have the ability to do, and went back to his computer.

I searched through the numerous bags on the floor until I found a pair of pajamas, and walked into the bathroom to change. I brushed my hair into a neat ponytail and put the pajamas on.

I usually just wore stuff like this at home, and I knew that Bex didn't hesitate to either. Liz and Cammie, on the other hand, were innocent bunnies when it came to Victoria's Secret. I would wrestle Cammie into one of those outfits sometime, I mused to myself.

Opening the bathroom door, I made a beeline for the bed and dropped onto it. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Nick was gaping at me, and then he hastily tried to conceal it. I smirked to myself, then pulled up the covers and closed my eyes.

An annoying tapping sound woke me up. It was five in the morning…so I decided to pretend that the noise didn't exist and buried my head in my pillow, only briefly worrying that my hair would muss up.

The tapping got louder and turned into banging, and I heard Bex's angry American accent: "Kloe, open the door before I kick it down!"

"Nick, get the door," I groaned.

"You go get it," I heard from the other side of the room.

I threw a pillow at him and heard a satisfying _thump_. "Ow!"

"Nicholas Cross, you'd better get your _ass_ to the door before Bex cuts your freaking _balls_ off."

I heard a rapid scuffling sound, and then Nick stumbled across the room to the door. I smiled.

"Wut?" Nick mumbled to Bex, still wearing only his boxers.

Bex raised her eyebrow at him, looking disgusted. She pushed past him and said, "Macey, I'm sorry you have to live with this dirtbag."

"Taking one for the team, Bex." Noticing her tense stance, I asked, "So why did you wake me up again?"

"Langley just sent Liz and Jonas an email. Parents are in trouble so Grant and I are flying up to help. They're giving Cammie a week of R&R and after that you guys are going there, too," she said.

"Hold up," I said, processing this information. "So you and Grant are just…leaving us? Did they say what happened to your mom and dad?"

"No. I just came to tell you. Our flight leaves in an hour," she said curtly.

My eyes softened, and I got up to give her a hug. I knew she was seemingly the toughest out of all of us, but her short sentences let me know that on the inside, she was worried and possibly scared, too. "Okay, Bexie. Be careful out there, and kick some ass for me, okay?"

Bex nodded, hugging me back. She stepped toward the door. "I'll see you later."

Those words were said in the most casual of ways, but I knew the meaning behind them. They said, _I'll be back. _I knew that even though we were still relatively new operatives, she was more than capable of defending herself and beating whatever odds were out there.

As I said goodbye to Bex, I hoped for her enemies' sake that she went easy on them.

Zach POV:

After I finished applying Skele-Gro to Cammie, I had simply passed out next to her. A knocking on the door woke me up, and with a smirk I noticed that she had curled up to my chest. She looked so cute when she slept. I couldn't stop myself from smoothing her hair; then, I got up and answered the door.

Grant stood there, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Hey, man, just wanted to tell you that me and Bex are going to Langley to help her parents out with something, and you guys will be staying here for another week."

I nodded, knowing that it was more serious than his words made it out to be. "Take care of her, okay?" I said, giving him a man hug.

Grant grinned and nodded, hurrying off as I closed the door.

Cammie POV:

Sounds of whispering dragged me out of my slumber. I was about to pull my cold self underneath the blankets when something radiating heat settled next to me. Sleepy, I grabbed the warm thing and pulled it toward me, but stopped when it chuckled.

"Miss me, Gallagher Girl?" Zach's voice was two parts sexy and two parts sleepy, with a healthy dose of smirk mixed in.

I stopped trying to snuggle with him and said childishly, "Go away."

Zach laughed quietly, almost mockingly, and pulled me to him, holding me tighter when I tried to move away. He was nice and muscled, and warm, too. I gave up trying to resist and relaxed into him, feeling cozy and safe in his arms.

He rubbed my back and said, "Go to sleep, Gallagher Girl. We don't have anything to do."

I sighed in contentment and fell asleep again.

**Hey, everybody! Decided to write a nice long kind of action-y chapter for you all to make up for the long wait. XD Hope this one was good, and please don't hesitate to review!**

**- BubblesAndThings**


	8. Chapter 8

Cammie POV:

_Sizzle_. _Crack._ Sounds of food. I popped up in bed, noticing that the covers had been pulled around me. I checked the clock: 6:40 AM. Crap! What day is it? Uh…

Feeling much more invigorated than before, I stumbled out of bed and found Zach at the kitchen, frying something. He turned around as I sat on a stool. "What day is it?"

"It's Wednesday, Gallagher Girl. You slept for a day and a half."

"What?" I rubbed my eyes. Then I realized, "I didn't use any Skele-Gro! Liz is going to kill me!"

Zach smirked. "Liz made me keep watch. I rubbed Skele-Gro on you every four hours."

"Oh. Thanks, I guess…" I mumbled.

"You should be more worried about me. Macey has been going crazy because you haven't woken up."

I smirked. "So what have you guys been doing?"

"Macey tried to give Nick a makeover, but Nick ran away. Liz and Jonas have been stuck in their room doing whatever tecchies do."

"Macey _did_ go crazy…" I muttered to myself.

Zach smirked at me. "Yeah. We agreed not to go anywhere until you woke up."

His piercing gaze was making me uncomfortable, so I changed the topic. "Do you have food?"

He nodded at a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast on the counter. It was just about the heavenliest thing I had ever seen.

I practically inhaled the food, not even thinking about the fact that there was an incredibly cute guy a few feet from me, eating like I was back at Gallagher after a late night sparring with Bex.

I finished the plate and looked up, realizing that I probably looked disgusting, but not really caring. "More?"

Zach simply smirked and ladled another helping of eggs onto my plate.

...

I was buttering my fifth piece of toast when I heard Macey's voice yell, "Is Cammie awake yet?"

"In here!" I called, not bothering to look up from my toast.

Macey and Liz rounded the corner and ran at me. Liz engulfed me in a hug. "You finally woke up!"

"Urgh…Liz…let go…" I said, nearly suffocating.

"Sorry!" Liz said quickly, grinning sheepishly.

Zach smirked. "She's awake, all right, and eating like a pig."

"Hey, I'm hungry!" I protested.

Macey stole my toast and popped it in her mouth, grinning at me. I growled at her. "There better be more where that came from, Goode," Macey said, settling in a chair and propping her feet up on the table.

"Make that two." Nick sauntered into the room, Jonas trailing behind.

I grinned at Zach. "Looks like you got more than you bargained for. Start cooking!"

Zach smirked and said, "You're lucky Jonas isn't."

Jonas blushed beet red and looked at his shoes. "Hey, it was a prototype!"

"A prototype?" Liz said, her natural scientific curiosity aroused.

Nick laughed, a deep, booming sound. "Yeah. So one day Zach is about to start cooking, and Jonas runs over with some machine of his and says, 'Hey, let me try out this new Cookamator-5000-majig!'"

Jonas said, looking offended, "That is _not_ what it was called."

"Anyway," Nick said, continuing the story, "Jonas sets up the machine, and then the reason I wake up is because there's smoke everywhere and the fire detector as gone off."

We all laughed, and Nick said, smirking, "That was Jonas' first failure."

"Hmph," Jonas huffed. "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

Liz looked up at him, eyes twinkling. "Thomas Edison, June 1986."

Macey facepalmed. "Dear Lord, Liz, you can feel the nerdiness in the air."

"It smells like the good old days at Blackthorne," Jonas said, obviously looking to change the subject.

"Really?" Liz asked.

"Yep. Zach would always wake up earliest, after me, and cook breakfast for us. He knows that the smell of food is the easiest way to get Grant up." Everyone stared at Jonas at this comment, and he froze.

"Speaking of which," I said, looking up from my food, "Where's Bex and Grant?"

"Um…" Liz said, looking down at the table.

"He, uh…" Jonas said, trailing off.

"He what?" I demanded impatiently. I lasered onto Macey. "Where are they?"

"Bex and Grant had to go back to Langley, Cams," she said softly.

"What? Why?"

"Her parents…ran into a little trouble. We don't know why."

"Oh," I said, feeling my stomach slowly clench with dread.

"They're going to be fine, Cammie," Liz said reassuringly.

At that moment, Zach carried plates over to the table. "Breakfast is served," he said, with a bow.

"Thanks, Zachy!" Nick said, ruffling Zach's hair with one hand before diving into his food.

Zach rolled his eyes and – what else? Smirked.

"I'm not really hungry. See you guys later," I said, pushing my chair back and leaving.

...

Macey POV:

"So, what are we going to do today?" Liz said, trying to cover up the awkward silence after Cammie left. The best thing to do right now would be to just give her some space.

I offered, "I was thinking…we could go to the aquarium."

"The aquarium?" Nick scoffed. "That's for kids."

"Then you can stay here," I retorted.

Liz nodded. "Georgia's aquarium is the largest in the world. It's sure to have a lot of things to do."

"They have a dolphin show," Jonas added.

"Then we're going!" I said with finality, smiling.

"Okay," Liz said. "But first, we need to hand out comms."

"Comms? For what?" Nick said.

Liz shrugged. "You never know. The aquarium is a big place."

I nodded, agreeing. "Liz is right. Besides, there's nothing wrong with being paranoid."

...

Cammie POV:

A hesitant knocking sound came from the door. "Come in," I called.

"Cammie?" Liz's head peeked around the door. She came in with Macey, sitting next to me on the bed.

"Yeah?" I said, not looking up.

Macey put a hand on my shoulder. "Listen. Bex and Grant are going to be fine. I bet it's not anything major – "

"Yes it is!" I exploded. "It's major enough that Langley would call their _daughter_ up and have her, I don't know, say goodbye to the bodies or something! And it's all my fault! I got Bex's parents killed!" I took deep, shuddering breaths.

After a considerable silence, I turned to look at my friends. They were sitting there in shock, Liz's mouth in a small o.

Finally, Liz swallowed audibly and said to me, "Cammie do you seriously think that's what it is?"

"Think what?" I whispered, looking down at the bedspread.

"That they _died_? I was the one who got the email, and trust me: it's not that. It's something to do with them being in danger of something, but I promise you that they _have not died_."

Macey said, "And it's not your fault either that you got captured. You can't help it that some freaky terrorist organization is after you. You didn't do anything to Bex's parents."

More silence.

I took a deep, slow breath, and said, "Thanks guys."

"No problem," Macey said, squeezing my hand. "Can we go to the aquarium now?"

I looked up, smiling. "Yeah."

Liz smiled and gave me some comms, pulling me out of the room.

...

"Promise me something, Gallagher Girl," Zach whispered in my ear as we entered the aquarium.

"What?" I said.

"Don't hurt yourself."

I looked up at him, wondering if he was joking, but his face was dead serious. Besides, Zach doesn't joke. "What?"

"Don't get captured," he smirked, "or else I'll have to come rescue you again." He turned solemn. "Promise me."

"Okay?"

"Good," he said, unexpectedly taking my hand. I hissed, "What are you doing?"

He smirked, keeping a firm grip on it. "_Juliet,_ where do you want to go?"

I grimaced internally, knowing that he had just given me a cover name and that I was stuck with it. Liz had briefed me on the mission and their covers, so I had no trouble responding with, "Can we go to the Cold Water Quest, Carter?"

"Sure!" Zach said, casually slinging his arm around my shoulders. To strangers we would look like a perfectly normal couple. And I guess we were…

**Hello friends, and happy late 4****th**** of July! :P Longish chapter. I've gotten ****depressingly**** few reviews lately, so could you guys make my day and take five seconds to click that button down there? TANKS!**

**- BubblesAndThings**


	9. Chapter 9

Cammie POV:

I heard Macey's voice over comms. "Benny, look at this fish!"

"Wow, Kloe, it's _really_ pretty."

Liz: "And this is the _Pseudanthias bicolor_, as well as the _Opistognathus aurifrons_…"

"Ooh, look, Olivia, a particularly nice-looking _Amphiprion percula_!"

"Hey, sexy."

A voice interrupted my comms listening. My head whipped around, and I found a sleazy-looking guy standing next to me. "Umm…hello?"

He grinned sickeningly and wrapped his arm around my waist. "How about we take this somewhere more…private?"

I quickly moved away and started looking for security, like a normal civilian would. "Can you say _creeper_?"

Zach appeared at my side, pulling me to him and glaring at the guy. "Hands off, man. She's my girlfriend!"

The creeper held his hands up. "Hey, hey, it's alright, no need to get your panties in a twist," he chuckled and sauntered off, probably to harass someone else.

I shuddered, hoping I would never meet somebody like that again. I looked up at Zach. "Thanks."

"No problem." With a feather-light touch, he brushed my hair behind my ear. My heart beat faster as I looked into his eyes, and he was leaning toward me. I closed my eyes…

Our comms crackled particularly loudly. "CODE RED! I repeat, CODE RED!"

...

The moment was most definitely ruined. Zach and I broke apart quickly, and I couldn't help but think, _Was he about to kiss me_?

But there was no time to think about things like that. I turned to Zach and asked, "What's happening?", knowing that my friends would hear me on comms.

Macey sounded breathless as she said, "A bunch of masked men have just rappelled down from the ceiling in the lobby. They look like the men from the base that Chameleon was held in."

I broke out into a cold sweat. _Holy shit_, my captors were about to come back for round two. I tried to steel my mind as Zach and I ran toward the lobby, jostling panicked people in crowds.

"We're on our way," I said over the mob.

Jonas said, "Bookworm and I are in a closet. We're hacking into the aquarium mainframe now."

I asked Zach, "What do you think they want?"

He shook his head. "I don't know, but I have a feeling we're about to find out."

We burst into the huge lobby of the aquarium, where all the exhibits open into a vast room. Currently, rappel cords dangled from the ceiling, and men dressed in black spread out among the room. People pressed up against the walls, and it looked like some of them were being interrogated.

Macey saw me the same time I saw her. She mouthed, "Plan 304", and I nodded, wishing fervently that Bex were there.

Macey and Nick ran out on cue and engaged the men. I silently started a countdown in my head as I watched Macey perform her most ferocious Wendelsky Maneuver and slam her attacker to the ground.

3, 2, 1…

I didn't remember running, but somehow my feet had carried me to the scene. I didn't hesitate as I pulled out concealed napotine patches and slapped them on every piece of skin I could reach, and I knew Zach was doing the same.

Soon, piles of men in black were on the floor, while we stood, surveying the damage. The civilians in the room were looking at us as if we would kill someone right then and there, and I suppose we could. Macey was already pulling out coils of rope and tying people up, and I hastened to help.

Liz's voice crackled in the comms. "Peacock, Chameleon! Are y'all okay?"

"We're fine, Bookworm," I said.

"Oh! Okay!" Liz sounded relieved. "Brainiac and I have contacted the CIA, and we're getting flown up immediately."

Jonas said, "We've erased all the footage on the security cameras, and the CIA will do the rest. You can just leave the men in a pile, a cleanup team will come get them later."

"Okay," Nick said. He looked around at the terrified civilians and the wrecked hall. "Do you think we still have time to catch the dolphin show?"

...

Liz POV:

"So," the director said, folding his arms and staring across his desk at us, arrayed in chairs before him. "You rescued Cameron, took her to an _aquarium_,"

Here Nick pointedly glared at Macey, but it was lost on her.

…"and were attacked by supposed henchmen of her captors. Correct?"

Seeing as I was probably the most informed about…this whole mission…out of all my friends, I spoke up. "Yes, sir, that is correct."

Let me give you a little background info on the director. He has been at the CIA for a long time, and has led it well. However, very few people know what his real name is. He's simply known as "the director." He is a man to be respected, though, and commands great authority throughout the CIA.

The director scrutinized me. "And, Elizabeth, I must hear more about this Skele-Gro of yours. It sounds phenomenal."

"That's what I told her," Jonas said.

I blushed, and said, "It's nothing, sir. Just something I whipped up at our sophomore year at Gallagher."

The director laughed. "You're too modest, Elizabeth." He turned to Cammie. "And you, Cameron, I am glad to see you are feeling better."

She dipped her head. "All thanks to Liz, sir."

The director continued, "We'll be taking you in for a debriefing about your experience captive."

Cammie nodded, looking fearless, in my eyes. I realized how strong Cammie must have been to resist the torture she had undergone. Not for the first time, I found myself admiring my friend.

Turning to all of us, the director said, "We'll be sending you all on another mission regarding Cammie's captors. Op info will be emailed to you shortly."

That was a signal for us to leave. We all stood up and exited the office.

In the hallway, Macey was already checking her phone for the email, when a man stopped us. "Is Cameron Morgan with you?"

Cammie stepped forward. "Yes, that's me."

The man looked down at his at the clipboard. "If you would follow me to your debriefing." He looked at us. "They can wait in the lobby."

Cammie shrugged and followed the man, glancing over her shoulder before rounding the corner.

Everyone settled into the couches and armchairs provided.

After a moment, Macey said, "The Director didn't even say anything about Bex and Grant…"

"I'm sure they're fine," I reassured her. "We'll see them later or something."

She sighed. "I hope Cammie's okay…"

Nick rolled his eyes. "They're only debriefing her, duh."

She snapped, "I know what debriefing is. But this was our first mission."

"Your first?" Jonas asked, surprised. He looked at me, and I nodded.

"Yeah, all of our firsts. We had desk jobs before this."

Jonas pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose said, "It's unusual for operatives to be sent out on a mission of such a high level so early. You guys must be really good."

"I guess," I said, shyly. I never thought of myself as very good.

"Was this your first, too?" Macey asked.

Nick stopped to consider for a moment, and then said, "Yes."

After that, it was just awkward silence.

Twenty minutes later, Cammie arrived, sighing and plopping down in a chair.

"What happened, Cammie?" I asked, concerned.

She shook her head. "Nothing major. They sat me in a room and asked me questions. There wasn't much to say. I didn't really want to talk about it, but…" she shrugged, "what can you do?"

"It's okay, Cammie. It's over and done with now." I put my arm around her.

She nodded, but I wasn't fooled. I knew she had something on her mind, and sooner or later I would drag it out of her. From the look in Macey's eye, I knew that she was thinking the same.

Another man with a clipboard appeared. "The Director and Operatives Baxter and Newman would like to see you. Follow me." He turned, not looking back.

We looked at one another, before getting up and following him.

"It never ends, does it?" I heard Cammie mutter.

Macey smiled. "Nope."

**Hewwo! Thank you for all the reviews! XD I know that this is one of my shorter chapters, but I **_**PROMISE**_** that there will be Bex and Grant in the next chappie. Please keep reviewing and have a great day!**

**- BubblesAndThings**


	10. Chapter 10

Cammie POV:

We arrived at the door of a conference room. I slowed down, not wanting to go inside. To find answers. Because I knew now that sometimes, it's better not to ask.

However, my friends had other plans. Macey practically skipped past me, Liz tugging me along. The man with the clipboard opened the door and ushered us in, closing it behind us.

"BEX!" Liz squealed, picking her up and giving her a squeeze. Macey grinned and joined in, too. I stood back, not really knowing what to do. Once Liz had put Bex down, she smiled at me.

"Hi, Cammie," Bex said.

"Hi, Bex," I said. "I missed you."

She grinned at me, gesturing to the seat next to her. "Listen well, Cams; I kicked some major arse!"

I decided to grin too, parking myself in the chair. Zach was on my right, and Grant sat on Bex's other side. I nodded at him, and he smiled at me.

"Alright," the Director said, folding his hands. He sat at the head of the table, a projector glowing softly onto a screen behind him.

"As you know, Operatives Baxter and Newman were called from the Chameleon's rescue mission Langley. The reason for this is because we received a call that the Baxter Operatives from MI6 had been compromised."

I gasped quietly, but I guess it wasn't so quiet as I thought, because Zach's hand found mine under the table and squeezed it. I would normally think more about the small gesture, but not now. Bex sent a reassuring smile my way.

The Director continued, "We called Operatives Baxter and Newman immediately to track them down. Of course," he smiled slightly, "MI6 had hands tailing them too, but we prefer to think that the CIA is better."

"The Baxter Operatives are valuable contacts of ours, and it would be a shame to lose them." After this statement, the Director turned to Bex, indicating that she take over.

Bex straightened and said, "We tracked them to Las Vegas. There, we discovered that there was a secret base underneath a casino, much like the one that Cammie was held in." Her glance flickered to me.

Grant continued, "We conducted surveillance on the base and confirmed that Bex's parents were there. We were able to successfully break the Baxter Operatives out. However – " he shifted uneasily, "on the way out, we encountered a few guards. They attempted to stop us, but we knocked them out. One of them dropped something."

The projector screen flashed, a photo of a ring appeared. The ring had an emblem on it – an emblem that was curiously familiar. But I couldn't put my finger on it.

The Director leveled his gaze at us. "Do any of you recognize what this is?"

Grant, Nick, Jonas, and Zach all shook their heads. Liz said with a frustrated look on her face, "It seems familiar, but I don't know why…"

"Iospeh Cavan." Macey said suddenly.

The Director smiled. "Yes, that's correct."

I remembered now. The sword that hung in the glass display case at Gallagher, the one that Gilly had used to kill Ioseph Cavan, had an insignia similar to this one. The Circle had that symbol – the Circle of Cavan, the organization that had tried to kill me, but was destroyed. Just seeing that picture gave me chills.

"Yeah," Bex agreed. "But that isn't exactly it."

The Director said what we were all thinking, but were too afraid to say: "We think that there's another group."

Well, shit.

After about a minute of us sitting in stunned silence (because it isn't every day you find out that there's another terrorist organization out to kill you – even if you are a spy), the Director said, "We have a lead that there's another base in San Francisco, and will be sending you all there shortly."

He stared at all of us, scarily reminding me of Mr. Solomon. "If this organization is anything like the Circle of Cavan – and we think it is – it's highly dangerous. You all must be exceedingly careful. We're sending you because you're the best we have available right now."

More silence. The Director pushed back his chair and stood up. "Dismissed."

...

Back in the lobby, I said, "Well, what do we do now?"

"We wait," Liz said simply. "We can't do anything about the mission until we receive details."

"I know you're torn up about this, Cams," Bex said, "but at least we're one step closer to bringing whoever it is down."

I nodded. Then, I addressed Grant and Bex: "I'm still sorry you had to go through this."

Bex laughed. "It's okay – not your fault. Besides, it gave me an excuse to leave your boring mission and kick some arse."

"And the food in Vegas isn't bad either," Grant chuckled.

I laughed too, but only for a little bit. "And are you sure that your parents are okay?"

"They're fine, Cammie. In the hospital, but fine. Stop worrying!" Bex said.

"The hospital?" I said, instantly worrying.

"Stop it!" Bex punched me. "Seriously! They're fine."

"I just feel really guilty…"

Macey rolled her eyes. "Loosen up, Cammie." She brightened. "How about we all crash at my house?"

"Um…all of us?" Jonas said, looking embarrassed.

She grinned. "Hell yeah! Since we have to leave in a few days."

"We can play truth or dare!" Bex said, grinning evilly at me.

I groaned. "God, I hate that game."

"It's a great game." Zach smirked at me. "I'm in."

Grant nodded. "So am I."

Jonas looked uncomfortable. "I guess…"

"It's settled." Macey said, flipping open her phone. "I'm calling a limo."

...

Bex POV:

"Holy shi – shiz! You _live_ in this place?" Grant's jaw dropped as soon as we opened the apartment door.

"Yeah. It's alright," Macey said, handing her luggage to Nick. "Would you be a sweetie and take that upstairs, please?"

Nick groaned and trudged up the stairs. We followed him, Grant oohing and ahhing the whole time.

"OH. MY. GOD. Look at this kitchen! LOOK AT IT!"

I rolled my eyes. "Honestly, Grant, I think you're going to cry of happiness."

Grant wiped a fake tear. "Yes, it's just…so…_beautiful_."

Zach smirked, and I noticed him engage in a silent game of tug-of-war with Cammie for her luggage. He succeeded in wresting it from her, and I grinned at Cammie.

"So this is the hall where the girls will be staying…" Macey said, pointing down an ornate hallway with a plush carpet and chandelier.

"And the hall across from it is where the guys can stay. Break anything and I'll sue you," Macey threatened.

I stifled a chuckle, because I had broken plenty of things in Macey's house and had yet to pay for a single one.

"Okay, I'm going to unpack now," Cammie said, pulling her suitcase from Zach.

...

"So, how's your bedroom?" Liz asked, her head popping through the door connecting our rooms.

"Not bad, as always," I said, lying on the luxurious king-size bed.

Cammie's voice came from the other door, "Ahh! Chocolate! Where'd this come from, Macey?"

Macey's voice said airily, "Oh, I had fridges installed in each of the rooms you guys usually stay in, since you guys practically live here."

"Fridge?" I said, finding a little mini-fridge in the corner of the room. It was filled with goodies, like chocolate and mints. "Mmm…thanks, Mace!"

Liz squealed, "Ooh! Fig newtons!"

"Ew…" I muttered.

Macey called, "Hey, how about everyone come to my room?"

We sat in a circle on the floor, just like we had done many times in our dorm at Gallagher. Macey munched on popcorn (extra-light and fat free) and said conversationally, "So, Bex, how's it going with Grant?"

I chewed on some Swedish Fish. "He's great!"

"_How_ great?" Macey prodded, pushing for information.

I sighed. "I was practicing my drop throw on him, and he was on the ground and I was on top, and…" I trailed off and looked down my food as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Then what?" Cammie said, leaning forward.

"Then…"

"What happened?" Macey asked impatiently.

"Fine! We kissed, okay? WE KISSED."

Immediately they all squealed. "I'm so happy for you!" Liz said, squeezing me hard.

Macey grinned at me. "Is he going to ask you out?"

At this, my smile faded. "I don't know…it's been a few days, but he hasn't said anything."

"Has he been acting okay?" Macey asked, concerned.

I nodded morosely. "We kind of laughed afterward and brushed it off. He's acting like it never happened."

Macey nodded, and said sagely, "I'm sure he's just really nervous about it and wondering how to do it. He totally likes you."

Cammie said reassuringly, "And you've been kind of busy for a while, so he might not have had a chance to yet."

"Ugh!" I said. "I hate waiting!"

Liz grinned. "I know," she said. "That's Bex for ya."

My interrogation finished, Macey turned to Liz. "What about you, Lizzie? How's Jonas?"

She blushed beet red and looked down at the floor.

Cammie giggled. "Liz, we all can tell that you have the hugest crush on him."

"She's in denial," Macey sang. "You know we're going to drag it out of you eventually…"

I warned, "Do we need to get out your 'Boy-to-English' translator?"

At this, Liz looked up with a start. "No! Please, don't!"

"Then you better tell us," Macey said, crossing her arms.

"Okay!" Liz said, finally ungluing her eyes from the floor. "He compliments me a lot…like about Skele-Gro." She sighed. "And he's a perfect gentleman, and always helps me up when I'm clumsy."

"He definitely has a huge crush on you," Cammie said approvingly.

"The only thing is," Macey said, "if you want to have a relationship, you have to let him know you like him!"

"I know…" Liz sighed shyly. "But I don't know how!"

"Just give him compliments, like he does to you," Macey advised.

I said, "And when he looks at you, look back at him and smile or something."

Cammie added, "And try not to be as shy around him, okay?"

Liz smiled. "Okay. Thanks, guys!"

"And you," I said to Macey. "What about Nick?"

Macey rolled her eyes. "God, he's such a jerk sometimes!"

"You only think that because he's the first guy not to fall all over you," Cammie teased.

"He looks like a hard guy to read," Liz admitted.

"Tell me about it," Macey said, opening another bag of popcorn.

I said, "But I still think he likes you!"

"I do too," Liz said, grinning mischievously. "According to the Boy-to-English translator, he secretly likes you but is too much of a quote unquote 'bad boy' to admit it."

"When did you update it that much?" Cammie asked, surprised.

"Oh, recently." Liz said, with the air of someone who works really hard but doesn't tell people about it. Actually, that's always what Liz has done. "I've been taking notes from Macey."

"Of course you have," I rolled my eyes, but Liz knew I was impressed.

Liz said proudly, "And, I think that within a few years or so, it'll be a fully marketable product!"

"A few years?" Macey said incredulously. "That's a long time."

Our inventor huffed, crossing her arms. "I know, but science takes _time_, okay?"

"Okay," Cammie said, grinning widely. "Got any more advice for Macey?"

"That still sounds so weird: 'Advice for Macey'…" I muttered.

Liz entered something on the Boy-to-English translator, and said, "Well, Macey should keep playing hard-to-get to let Nick know she's not just another girl, but should also be nice to him when he lets his guard down." She looked up, suddenly unconfident in her intel. "Is that good advice, Macey?"

Macey ran a hand through her hair. "I guess…I would tell a person in my same situation that…"

"Then it's good advice," Cammie said, stretching her legs.

"You look a little too comfortable there, Cams," I teased.

"I agree," Macey said, getting a dangerous look in her eye. "How's Zach, Cammie?"

**Yay! Lots of things happening in this chappie. I feel like it's too fluffy, but anyway…I'm going on vacation for three weeks, so once I get settled down, I will start updating again. Just a warning. :D Please review! MUAH 3**

**- BubblesAndThings**


	11. Chapter 11

Bex POV:

"He's fine," Cammie said gruffly.

"Mmhmm…" Liz said, giggling.

Cammie later proved to be the toughest nut to crack, and she wound up tied to a chair while Macey circled around her like a vulture stalking prey.

"I know you like him, Cammie. You do."

I sighed. "Won't you say _anything_ about Zach?"

"Never!" Cammie replied defiantly.

"You won't?" Macey said, her voice dangerously low. "Bex, get me my makeup bag."

"NO!" A terrified look slipped past Cammie's stubborn mask.

"Still sure you won't talk?" Macey said, rummaging through the bag. "How about I use the foundation? Yes, how about the extra tinted one?"

"Ahh!" Cammie screamed.

By now, Liz and I were in hysterics. If only Cammie's abductors had known about her fear of makeup, they would've gotten information about her much easier.

"Okay, I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"Are you sure?" Macey said, swirling the foundation with her finger. "I wouldn't want you changing your mind."

"Yes! I will!"

Macey grinned evilly; Cammie was right where she wanted her. "Then…to prove your love…scream 'I love Zachary Goode'."

"What? No!"

Macey plucked another container from the bag and said, "Hm…on second thought, I'll use the extra-coverage foundation instead."

Cammie sighed. She squeezed her eyes shut and yelled, "I LOVE ZACHARY GOODE!"

There was a moment of silence when we all stared at each other.

Macey grinned. "Good job, Chameleon." She gestured for me to untie her from the chair.

The door burst open and Zach stood there, smirking. "What was that you were saying about me?"

Cammie POV:

I was mortified. However, Gallagher trained me for embarrassing situations like this, and I recovered quickly. Note the extensive sarcasm. "Zach…uh…you didn't hear anything!"

He leaned on the doorway. "Right. You disturbed my nap with your loud screaming."

Bex rolled her eyes. "It's not like you guys are being perfect little angels."

"Oh, we are," Zach said, smirking and walking toward us. "Can I join circle time?"

Macey was about to snap something when Nick strolled through the door. "Zach, leave some ladies for me, will ya?" Grant followed him, munching a bag of chips. He sat down next to Bex, smiled, and offered some to her.

Jonas cautiously stepped inside. His eyes fell on Liz's Boy-to-English translator, and he picked it up. Examining it, he said, "What is this?"

Liz grabbed it from him. "Nothing!"

When everyone looked at her, she babbled, "It's just that it's still in the prototype phase and I don't want anyone to see it. Someone might copy it. I know that you won't, but it's better safe than sorry, right? And this is really important to me and…" She trailed off because Jonas was looking at her with an expression of such intensity that I half expected lasers to shoot out of his eyeballs.

Jonas slowly cupped her cheek, and when Liz didn't run away, he leaned down and kissed her.

We allowed them a few seconds, and then Nick loudly wolf-whistled. Grant started cheering, and Bex, Macey, and I just stood there and grinned at Liz. The two broke apart, both beaming like idiots.

Zach clapped Jonas on the back. "About time, man."

Jonas blushed, but took Liz's hand.

"Now that that's out of the way," Bex said, "how about we settle down for a nice game of truth or dare?"

...

Cammie POV:

Macey and Bex had to drag me, kicking and screaming, to sit down. Well, maybe not kicking and screaming, exactly. But if you had many years of experience with living with the craziest roommates in the world as I do, you would have been afraid. Very afraid.

"Okay," Macey said, rubbing her hands together, "who wants to go first?"

"I will," Bex said confidently.

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

Macey got an expression on her face that made me think, _uh oh_. She said, "I dare you to put lipstick on Grant. But you can't use your hands."

Bex held out her hand. "How about a ruby red?"

Grant paled. "Uh…Bex?"

"Shut up, I'm trying to work," Bex replied. She pulled off the cap and grasped the lipstick firmly in between her teeth.

My eyes widened, and five minutes later, Grant had a nice red pout. Bex had filled in his lips perfectly, not a mark out of place.

"Wow, Grant, you look good," Nick chortled.

Grant checked his reflection in the mirror. "I do," he said. "Does this color make my lips look fat?" he winked at Bex. She grinned, and handed the lipstick back to Macey.

"Okay…Jonas, truth or dare?"

Jonas looked nervous. "Truth."

Bex looked disappointed, but said, "When did you start liking Liz?"

"Um…" Jonas smiled at Liz shyly, "I think the first time I met her. When she walked into the restaurant…she looked so beautiful."

All the girls "aww"ed, and Liz blushed and squeezed Jonas' hand.

Jonas said, "Cammie, truth or dare?"

"Uh…dare."

"You have to sit on Zach's lap for the next three rounds, and he has to repeat everything you say," the tecchie pronounced. Who knew Jonas had it in him?

"Jonas, I hate you," I said, glaring at him and not getting up.

Zach smirked. "Jonas, I hate you," he mimicked in a high voice.

I smacked him. "I do not sound like that!"

"I do not sound like that!"

Macey laughed. "Come on, Cammie. It's a dare."

I scowled one more time, got up, and sat on the very edge of Zach's knee. He pulled me onto his lap, resting his chin on my shoulder. I didn't even try to struggle, knowing that he would only hold me tighter.

"Macey, truth or dare?"

"Macey, truth or dare?" my annoying echo repeated. I ignored him.

"I'm not scared of you." She grinned. "Dare."

"Act like a cat for the next three rounds."

"Act like a cat for the next three rounds."

"Eww…Cammie, you know I think that cats are gross!"

"Cats don't talk," I reminded her.

She hissed at me while Zach said, "Cats don't talk."

Macey walked on all fours over to Zach and stabbed him with her finger.

He got the message and said, "Dare."

She whispered something in his ear, and crawled back to her spot.

Zach sighed. Then, with a full on smirk, he said, "Cameron Ann Morgan, I am deeply and irrevocably in love with you. Have my babies."

While everybody cracked up, my cheeks reddened and I punched him. "In your dreams, Zach."

"In your dreams, Zach," he repeated, while smirking at me. He wrapped his arms around me again, and turned to the group. "Liz, truth or dare?"

Liz coughed uncomfortably. "Truth."

"…how many people have you kissed besides Jonas?"

I looked disapprovingly at Zach. He knew that Liz was our little innocent Southern doll, no matter how tough she actually was. And plus, we usually didn't get out much, having gone to a top-secret all-girl spy school and all…

Zach simply smirked at me. "What?"

Liz reddened beyond tomato on the Blush-o-Meter and whispered, "None."

Bex glared at the guys, daring any of them to say anything. None of them did. After a silence, Liz asked timidly, "Grant, truth or dare?"

"Dare, duh!" Grant said, challenging her.

"Hm…" Liz looked deep in thought. "I dare you to eat a raw egg. The whole thing."

Grant shrugged. "Macey, got any eggs?"

"Sure," she said, opening her fridge.

Nick said, "Good luck, Grant."

"You're going to have an awful stomachache tomorrow," Jonas said, chuckling.

Grant caught the egg that Macey tossed him, and we watched in half disgust, half awe as he simply stuck it in his mouth and swallowed it whole. He made a face as it went down, but patted his stomach afterwards. "Not very satisfying, if you ask me."

"That's disgusting," Bex said, repulsed.

"Who would do that?" I said, mirroring her expression.

"Who would do that?" Zach said, echoing me. "And the answer is," he said, shifting my weight on his lap and smirking, "Grant would. He's crazy."

"Wait a second…hasn't it been three rounds already?" I said, struck by a sudden realization. "I can get off you now. It was a pleasure."

Zach smirked and didn't let go. "Nope, you're not leaving. I'll stop repeating everything you say, though."

"You're an awful person," I said, glaring at him.

"Come on, Zachy," Nick said mockingly. "How about you admit you love her already?"

Macey grinned, flashing me a knowing look.

Zach just smirked at me, saying, "I already did that, remember?"

My cheeks flushed as I remembered his statement about me…and babies. Luckily, Grant saved me by saying, "Okay, Nick, truth or dare?"

Nick snorted. "Dare. Every time."

"Okay then…I dare you to watch _the Notebook_ with Macey tonight, and you have to film the whole thing."

Macey positively cackled, saying, "Oh, I'm going to have fun with this."

"Thank you, Grant!" Bex said, grinning.

"I can't wait to see the tape," I chuckled.

Nick scoffed, barely keeping up his bad-boy bravado. "It'll just be three hours of me sitting there with an expression of hate on my face."

"No, no," Macey said, still grinning evilly. "You don't understand. Even _Cammie_ cried watching _the Notebook_."

Zach teased, "Are you serious, Gallagher Girl? I thought you were tougher than that."

"It's just a really sad, beautiful, movie," I defended myself. "Maybe you need to watch it sometime."

"Any time you like, Gallagher Girl," he said, smirking.

A cough that sounded suspiciously like "shameless flirting" came from Bex.

"Hey!" I said, whirling around. "You do the same thing with Grant!"

Bex shot back, "Yeah, but at least Grant knows – " she stopped herself.

Grant said, clueless as always, "I know what?"

"Nothing." Bex turned away.

He seemed to come to a realization, and took Bex's hand. "Bex Baxter. I have wanted to do this for a long time, but you're to darn stubborn to let me every time." He smiled ruefully at her. "I also wanted to do this in a more special way…but I hope this will do. Will you be my girlfriend?"

Every person in our small circle stared at Grant and Bex, holding our breaths.

"Yes, you fool, yes!" Bex said, flinging her arms around Grant's neck. His surprise was short-lived; he picked her up and brought her lips to his in a passionate kiss.

"Woah," I heard Liz breathe.

"Double woah," I whispered.

Macey just smirked.

**Hello, everybody! I'm back from vacation now. XD I apologize for the long wait, and I promise I'll try and get back to my regular updating schedule (although when school starts…I have no idea). I was kind of sort of really extremely disappointed with the number of reviews…so review please? Thank you! ^.^**

**- BubblesAndThings**


	12. Chapter 12

Cammie POV:

"Cammie, wake up!" Bex said, authoritively striding into my room past the door.

"Hey, you know this thing called knocking? It's pretty nifty," I said, lifting my head up groggily from the bed. I was still kind of jet-lagged, and was planning to go to bed early. Obviously Bex didn't agree with that idea.

Bex airily waved a hand. "Are you seriously sleeping? Come on, Macey has the Notebook ready."

"Seen it," I grumbled.

Bex lifted me up and threw me over her shoulder, ignoring my pleas. "Come on, it's movie night!"

...

When I walked into Macey's private theater, I saw that it had been converted into a huge plush room. The red theater seats had been taken out and replaced with bean bags, blankets, and huge pillows. The screen in front was lit up with the cover screen for the Notebook. Most noticeably, a large camera stood in the corner, a conscious reminder that everything done and said in that room would be caught on tape.

Everyone was already there: Jonas and Liz sitting together on a bean bag, Macey sprawled on some blankets and pillows, Nick next to her, and Grant pigging out on popcorn. Bex joined him. Zach was sitting alone in a mess of pillows.

"Care to join me, Gallagher Girl?" he asked, smirking.

Macey's expression told me very clearly that if I said anything but yes, there would be her wrath to take care of.

I sighed and decided to settle down on a pillow next to him. Zach draped his arm around me as Macey started the movie.

...

Pretty soon, I heard sniffles in the room. I was starting to get teary myself when I felt Zach pull me to him. I twisted around, eyes brimming. "What?"

"It's just a movie, Gallagher Girl," he said, smirking. But this time, it was a softer, more protective, smirk. If that was even possible.

"This is for people who have hearts," I retorted. "Oh, right, you don't have one."

"Mmhmm," he said, wrapping his arms around my waist. It was actually kind of comfortable. I laid my head on his chest, reveling in the feeling of his rock hard muscles. "Toy Story 3 was better."

"We're watching that after this," I immediately challenged.

Zach laughed quietly. "Okay. But I want to catch Nick crying on camera first."

...

Liz POV:

"ARGH!" An earsplitting scream shattered the morning stillness. I was briefly concerned until I heard a follow-up of Bex's voice:

"ALL CLEAR!"

I smiled, now recognizing the scream. I grabbed my glasses from the bedside table and hopped out of bed, reminiscing about the events of last night.

After the Notebook had ended (and Macey had made sure to film Nick crying very closely on camera), we had watched Toy Story 3 (which _everyone_ had cried in, but I was pretty sure Zach only got a bit misty-eyed), Finding Nemo, and then had a Disney movie marathon. Hey, even spies have to love Disney!

"NOT AGAIN – DAMMIT, BEX!" Cammie's voice continued to yell. This had been routine for our dorm back at Gallagher, as Bex and Macey had loved to give Cammie wake-up calls. I had made sure to out of the way of Cammie's wrath, but she usually cooled down. Soon enough.

I got dressed and poked my head out the door, glancing up and down the long hallway.

"Liz?" a soft and familiar voice said from next to me. Of course, being my clumsy self, I lost my balance while turning around and almost fell. A strong arm caught me and held me up.

I looked up into those beautiful brown eyes. "Oh! Thanks, Jonas."

He smiled gently as my heart beat ever faster. He pulled me up and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. As he fidgeted, he got out, "Liz, I never got to properly ask you last night – um…will you be my girlfriend?"

"Yes," I whispered, a blush immediately heating my cheeks. I had never had a boyfriend before – I was the shy one out of my friends. But Jonas was different. Jonas made me feel things that I didn't have words for.

Instantly a wide smile spread over Jonas' face, and he looked me in the eyes and said: "Thank you, Liz. I promise I'll be a gentleman and always respect you and listen to you and take you places and – "

I interrupted him with a shy kiss. "I know, Jonas. That's why I liked you in the first place."

He blushed too, and offered me his arm. "Would you like breakfast, then?"

"Yes," I said, taking his arm and smiling like an idiot all the way down the stairs.

...

"Must pack everything," Macey was saying as Jonas and I took our seats around her marble kitchen countertop.

"What's happening, Mace?" I asked her. Jonas was getting two plates of food for us. I blushed again as I thought of how lucky I was to have as good a boyfriend as him.

She leveled her no-nonsense expression at me. "The Director called. We're leaving for San Francisco in two hours, and I am so not prepared."

Bex rolled her eyes. "Didn't you just buy a whole new closet a few days ago in Atlanta?"

"No, but that's for the Atlanta _humid subtropical climate_. San Francisco is more _cool-summer Mediterranean climate_."

"Whatever you say," Bex said, grinning slightly. We had gotten used to Macey overpacking for everything a while ago, but still liked to bother her about it.

Grant chose this moment to mumble, "Ohmygawd, this omelet is so good."

Everyone turned and looked at him.

He said defensively, "What? Benefits of having a personal chef."

After another moment, Bex patted his head and turned back to us. "Anyway…"

Just then, Cammie stalked into the room. She had changed out of her pajamas, but her hair was soaking wet. Glaring at Macey and Bex in particular, she sat at the table and savagely tore the peel of a banana.

Zach smirked at her (as always). "Cat got your tongue, Gallagher Girl?"

Cammie turned her glare to him. "Don't talk to me."

Jonas looked slightly startled by her ferocity, and I handed her a cup of coffee. "Here, Cammie."

The coffee was drained in one gulp. Setting the cup down and sighing, Cammie said, "Thanks, Liz."

Macey smiled. "Feel better now, Cams?"

"No thanks to you," the bedraggled spy snapped.

"You know we were only trying to help," Bex said innocently. "You just sleep through regular alarms."

Cammie waved an arm. "Whatever. Macey, did you say we were leaving today?"

"Yeah, so you'd better start packing," Bex said. "Macey's going to buy a new closet."

"As always," Cammie said, smiling for the first time this morning.

...

Cammie POV:

"I hate airports," Macey said, her stilettoes clicking on the airport concrete. Nick trailed behind her, laboriously carrying all six pieces of her luggage.

"But that was a _private jet_," Liz said, still slightly in awe of our friend's sleek new toy.

"Whatever," Macey said flippantly. "I'm excited to get to the hotel, though. I personally booked it."

"What about covers?" I asked, sliding my sunglasses on.

"Tsk tsk, Chameleon. You didn't even read the email, did you?" Bex scolded me playfully.

I rolled my eyes. "I would have, but two really annoying people had to dump _freezing cold_ water over me and ruin my morning."

"You're out of practice, Cammie," Macey said, grinning. "We used to do that every day."

"I don't even want to think about it," I grumbled, my mind flashing back to years of Gallagher experience.

"Here's the email," Liz said, handing me her iPhone.

**Operatives:** Rebecca Baxter (Duchess) – Grace Iverson: Daughter of an oil tycoon; aggressive and loves competition, yachting and toy dogs. In a relationship with Carter.

Elizabeth Sutton (Bookworm) – Samantha Cartwright: Heiress to a software company fortune. Modest and quiet, but extremely smart. In a relationship with Nathan.

Macey McHenry (Peacock) – Kim Ferrari: Part of a family of reality stars. She's very overly loud and spoiled, and loves designer shopping. In a relationship with Jonathan.

Cameron Morgan (Chameleon) – Charlotte Tipton: Very rich, an heiress to a multi-billion fortune (diversified). The mansion is a birthday gift from her father. In a relationship with Avan.

Grant Newman (Zeus) – Carter Paulson: Father is the manager of a big name sports team. A prankster, he loves joking around and food. In a relationship with Grace.

Jonas Anderson (Brainiac) – Nathan Chambers: Comes from a family of rich stockbrokers that may or may not be involved in scams. In a relationship with Samantha.

Nick Cross (Player) – Jonathan Ferragamo: Mother is a big-name designer. Obnoxious and demanding, he likes hunting and big dogs. In a relationship with Kim.

Zachary Goode (Phantom) – Avan Lorenzo: Son of a drug cartel who supposedly has connections to Drake. Likes PDA. In a relationship with Charlotte.

**Cover:** Operatives are all high class VIPs, vacationing at Charlotte's new mansion in San Francisco to celebrate her 21st birthday.

**Objective** – Infiltrate the newest organization via the asset Alec Drake. Find out as much information as possible.

As I scanned the text and memorized it, Liz explained, "They gave me a flash drive with some files on it. It's got a few snippets that might be leads, but I haven't really looked at it much. We're the first operatives they've sent on this new organization."

"Okay," I nodded, not letting the emotion inside me show. The feeling that I had been hiding ever since I had gotten dragged into that taxi. The feeling that I hadn't dared tell anyone – that this, that everything had something to do with my dad. The CIA and the FBI had declared that the trail had gone cold, but I wasn't ready to believe that. I knew it was wrong to hope – to keep the spark alive, but it was all that I had left of him. And I wasn't ready to give that up.

My thoughts were interrupted as a huge stretch limo pulled up to the curb. The chauffer, dressed neatly in a tuxedo and white gloves – the whole nine, pulled open the door to the last seats and proceeded to gesture to us with a flourish. Without hesitation, Macey sashayed into the backseat, and the rest of us followed. I caught a glimpse of Nick unloading all the luggage onto the poor guy.

After sweeping the place for bugs, we activated a soundproof, bulletproof, and pretty much nuclear-missile-proof screen between us and the driver (all spy limos had one. Hey, you can never be too sure). We decided it was safe to talk.

"Ah…this is more like it," Macey said, stretching her long legs out.

"FOOD!" Grant said, immediately spotting the snack bar on the side and diving into a bag of Doritos.

Bex glanced around, looking impressed. "This limo yours, Macey?"

"Nope," she said, popping the 'p'. "CIA paid for it – it's Cammie's. They're paying for everything. We're supposed to be rich, remember?"

I leaned back into the plush leather seat. "I could get used to this."

Grinning, Liz nodded.

"Hey! Look!" Nick said, hitting a button. There was a whirring sound, and a panel slid back on the roof to reveal the blue California sky.

"Sun roof!" I said, immediately popping my head outside the roof. I had the feeling that we were all still immature when it came to things like this. The wind whipped my hair as giant houses, manicured lawns, and palm trees sped past in a blur of wealth.

"Awesome!" Bex's head popped up beside mine.

"That's your house," Macey said, her hair miraculously staying perfect despite the wind. She pointed in the distance to a gargantuan white mansion sitting grandly at the top of a hill, palm trees surrounding it. A large pool was visible in front, and it looked like a more comfortable version of the White House. And possibly bigger.

"Wow, Charlotte's rolling in it," Zach said. His head had mysteriously appeared next to mine.

I tossed my hair pompously. "Aren't you guys lucky to be friends with me?"

"Yes, very lucky," he replied, smirking.

I grinned in anticipation as our limo neared the house, eager to see what was in store.

**Hello everybody! Hope you like this chapter. School is starting soon, agh, and I have no idea what will happen to my updating schedule after that... Thank you thank you for all of my reviews, and please keep reviewing! :P**

**- BubblesAndThings**


	13. Chapter 13

Cammie POV:

"Helloooo, San Francisco," I said, as the doors to the mansion – _my _mansion – opened, revealing the luxurious interior. A giant hall was topped with sparkling chandeliers and two winding oaken staircases. It reminded me of the _Titanic_.

A butler dressed in a tuxedo bowed to us. "Good afternoon, Ms. Tipton. I'll trust that you had a long morning, and will have your hot bath and tea delivered to you immediately."

"Thank you, Gerald," I said, reading his nametag and playing along. Our covers started now. "I want my suitcases unpacked in my room, please."

Macey snapped her fingers at Gerald. "Excuse me? I would like a hot bath also, if you wouldn't mind." Her tone dripped venom.

The poor butler was frazzled. He probably wasn't used to serving eight VIPs, after all. "Um, of course, right away, Ms. Ferrari."

Macey sniffed contemptuously and turned away. "Really, Charlotte, I expected more. Your father bought this mansion, did he not?"

"Yes, daddy's always been good with staff," I said, smothering a grin. "Where are the others, Gerald?"

"I'm sure they'll be here soon, love," Zach said, draping his arm over my shoulder and kissing the top of my head. "In the meanwhile, why don't we go to your room?"

"Not to worry, Mr. Lorenzo," Gerald said, still slightly flustered. He rang a small bell, and seven other butlers appeared. "You will each have personal staff waiting on you."

"Wonderful," Bex said. "I would like to go to my room now, please?"

A butler bowed to her. "Right away, Ms. Iverson. If you would follow me."

"Thank you, Casey," Bex said, winking at me as she walked away.

Everyone followed their personal staff away, and I heard Grant saying, "Now, I would be just delighted if you could get me some snacks…"

...

"So, Jonas and I looked through the flash drive," Liz said, clicking through her laptop. We were all currently gathered in her room (after sweeping it for bugs, of course), it being approximately the size of my apartment in New York. "It was all background information on this guy called Alec Drake. He seems to be pretty well involved in the new organization – which is still so mysterious that we don't even know its _name_," she finished, frustration evident in her voice. Liz hated not knowing things.

"What we do know," Jonas said, "is where he lives. If we can get in, and bug the place or something, we could definitely get more info on him. Our purpose on this mission is to try and infiltrate this new organization."

For a second, I marveled at how much we had grown closer. The two tecchies had been stuttering and could barely get words out the first time we gathered, and now, they were explaining our mission eloquently.

"Mmhmm, Jonie, we already knew that," Nick said, rolling his eyes.

Macey chided, "Shut up, this is important!"

"So do you know anything else about his house, then?" Bex asked. I could see that she was already planning a master break-in.

"Here's the outside," Liz said, clicking some more. A photo popped up of a rather ordinary looking, modest three-story house.

"No info on the inside, then?" I said.

Jonas shook his head. "Nope. This is all we have."

"Then we're gonna break in quietly, bug the place, and get out," Grant said through a mouthful of chips.

"So, tonight?" Bex asked, grinning conspiratorially. "Night break-ins are always more fun."

"But we just got hereeeeee," Nick said, whining and stealing some of Grant's food.

"Stop being a whiner," Macey said, closing the matter. "We leave at 12."

The rest of the day was spent preparing and testing out nifty new gadgets that Liz and Jonas just _happened_ to have with them. By 11 o'clock, we were all in pure black clothing (yes, I do admit it is really clichéd, and yes, I do admit I felt very much like a ninja, but for your information, black is very good for blending in at nighttime. Besides, what were we going to wear, pink?).

We got into a nondescript red minivan, and Bex instantly yelled, "I'm driving!"

"Please don't," I heard Liz say from the comms. She and Jonas, like always, were going to stay back in the mansion and help us however they could from there.

"What could go wrong?" Grant said, ruffling Bex's hair affectionately. He was becoming quite the cuddly teddy bear, now that he and Bex were officially a couple.

"You have no idea," I said, closing my eyes, sitting back in the seat and mentally preparing myself.

"I bet she's a – whoa!" Grant said, getting cut off by the car snarling forward with frightening speed. The minivan turned a corner, Bex gunning the engine. Fortunately, it being around 11 at night, there was not too much traffic.

"Bex, please remember that in the US, we drive on the right side of the road," Macey said, holding onto the car for dear life.

"Oh yeah!" Bex said, twisting the wheel crazily and performing an illegal U-turn. "Forgot for a second."

"I think I'm about to barf," Nick said, eyes closed tightly.

Zach just laughed. "Don't worry, I'm sure this car has insurance."

After ten minutes, Bex said cheerfully, "We're almost there, guys!"

She turned around in the front seat to see all of us clutching various parts of the car very tightly. "Guys?"

"This is worse than that time Mr. Solomon made us drive blindfolded through a booby-trapped road," I said through clenched teeth.

Bex laughed. "I think I made it through all right." The car jerked to a stop. "Bookworm? Brainiac? We're here."

After the various sighs and moans of relief, we all quietly slipped out of the car and turned to the house in front of us.

Liz said, "Find any place to break in?"

"I see an open window on the second floor," I said, eyes scanning the darkness.

"Um…I'm not sure if – " Jonas said.

"Go, but be careful," Liz interrupted.

Slowly, our six-member crew crept around the side of the house. There were no lights on, and no detectable scanners. In one quick movement, Zach scaled a neighboring palm tree and slid through the window. He motioned for us to do the same.

"Damn," I heard Nick mutter. "Where'd he learn how to do that?"

Once we were all safely inside, I took a moment to look around. The place was nice, I guess. Very ordinary. I wouldn't have guessed that it belonged to a terrorist. Macey pulled out a blinking device and slapped it onto the wall. "Bookworm, hack away."

"Got it," Liz said, as she and Jonas started typing and clicking at a frenzied pace.

After a while, Jonas said, "Done. We stopped all the security feeds, bugs, etc. It's obvious that this is Drake's place, it has way to much security."

Zach looked at his watch. "Two minutes, 17 seconds. Not your best, Brainiac." Even in the darkness, I could tell that he was smirking.

"Okay, Phantom and I can take this floor, Duchess and Zeus can search first, and Peacock and Player can go up to third," I said, aware that time was already ticking.

Without a sound, our friends left us. I moved out of the living room that we were in, sneaking carefully down the hallway that branched off into two rooms. I picked the one on the right randomly and found myself in an office-type room. Jackpot! This is where all his important stuff would be. Zach and I stuck tiny bugs in available cracks in the room. I knelt down at the lower desk drawers, worked some with my lock pick, and pulled out files. Zach was doing the same to a cabinet.

_Yacht purchase_, _mortgage payments_, _taxes – 2009_…I rifled through each folder. They looked harmless, but you never knew. I listened for the tiny _click_ that signaled that the small camera in my watch had taken each picture. _Unidentified deal Class D, S orders Rank F_…the descriptions were starting to get shadier now. I didn't have time to look – just aimed the camera and went on. I knew Zach was doing the same. My veins were pumping in adrenaline, but in the complete gloom, all you could hear were the quiet _clicks_ and the sound of shuffling pages.

The last file. My gloved hand pulled it out, and I almost didn't catch the title. I glanced down at the last second, and what I saw made me freeze.

_Matthew Morgan_.

I sat there and stared at it in shock. I felt Zach wordlessly slide the file out of my hands and quickly finish taking pictures. He pulled at my elbow. "Let's go, Gallagher Girl."

A sound snapped me out of my reverie. Footsteps.

Zach melted into the shadows. The footsteps got too close, and then all of a sudden I was in a chokehold, gasping for air. "Where did you come from, pretty?" a rough voice rasped in my ear.

"Go…to hell…" I got out, clawing at the arm.

The voice laughed. "Feisty, I see. I'm sure the CIA or MI6 or wherever you come from will come after me once they identify your dead body." The chokehold got tighter. "But before then…I'm sure I'll have some fun with you."

I shuddered internally, and then winced as a blow slammed down onto my captor's head, knocking him unconscious. The chokehold loosened, and I kicked free.

Zach stood behind Drake's body, breathing heavily. I nodded at him slightly. "Thanks."

He nodded back, leaned down, and took a picture of the body. I slapped a bug onto his person and his clothing. Lastly, I slipped a memory-modification pill into his mouth and massaged his throat, forcing him to swallow it.

"He'll think he had a drunk night," Zach said grimly.

"Probably has a lot of those, judging by his breath," I tried to joke.

Zach turned to face me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…" I was caught off guard by his concern.

He stepped closer, and I fought the urge to move away. I could see each eyelash framing his beautiful green eyes…dang, he had nice eyes. I leaned forward, and then caught myself. _Cammie, what are you thinking?_

"Are you sure? I think he left bruises." Zach touched my throat lightly, where red spots were already beginning to form.

"I've been through a lot worse," I breathed, suddenly very conscious of the fact that it was dark and an extremely hot yet cocky boy was not a foot away.

"All the same…" Zach whispered, getting even closer.

At this point, I really couldn't go any farther. I hadn't been this close to a guy since Josh…and look how well that turned out. I was fine just being independent and fending for myself. Who needed boys anyway?

I will admit that I was slightly ashamed for what I did, but only _slightly_.

"Um…I think I hear Bex coming up…" I stammered as I backed away slowly. All but turned and ran from the room.

Undeterred, Zach kept pace with me easily. "You know, Gallagher Girl," he said, flashing his cocky smirk, "you're going to have to kiss me sometime. Need I remind you that Avan Lorenzo quite likes PDA?"

"I don't even want to think about it," I muttered, earning a low laugh from him.

We moved to the next room.

...

"There was nothing interesting," Bex complained as we got into the minivan. "All we did was creep around and bug the place and that was it. No action."

"Same here," Macey said, removing her black ski mask with a sigh. (I know what you're thinking. Yes, it's extremely clichéd. But how else are we going to hide our faces? Macey McHenry isn't exactly an unrecognizable face, you know.)

"We bumped into Drake," Zach said, in his matter-of-fact tone.

"We heard," Jonas said grimly over comms. "And you guys dealt with it well."

"Even though there was only a 12.3% chance he would come home," Liz chimed in. "Are you guys okay?"

"Cammie might have some bruises," Zach said.

"No, I don't," I defended.

"Do you?" Macey arched an eyebrow and looked at me.

Liz said, "Cams, I'll put some Skele-Gro on it later."

"Fine," I grumbled, knowing that Zach would make me anyway. "Did you receive all our pictures?"

"Yep, scanning them now," Jonas said amidst rapid clicking and typing. "There's a lot…we're gonna have a work day tomorrow."

The rest of the ride back was in silence. When we got to the house, we all slipped tiredly out of the van and back to our rooms.

**Hi people! School has officially started for me, so that means crazy unpredictable posting times…but I did manage to get this one to you guys. Aren't you proud of me? ^.^ We had a record for reviews! THANK YOU so so so much; I appreciate every single one of them!**

**- BubblesAndThings**


	14. Chapter 14

Macey POV:

"I emailed each of you a different section of the photographs," Liz said the next day. We were in an office/library/conference room in "Cammie's" mansion, having swept it very thoroughly for bugs, cameras, etc. Each of us had a computer, and it looked kind of like one of those NASA control rooms. We were about to start something Bex hated: desk work. However boring it was, we all knew inside that it was important. And I knew that Bex, Liz, and I had a sneaking feeling that it involved Cammie – that she was keeping something from us. But having spy friends means that you trust them enough to wait for an explanation when it comes.

Jonas explained, "What we want look for in these is anything that has to do with a secret organization, or looks suspicious. There's kind of a gray area for that right now, but we don't really have any other choice."

"Remember to save anything that looks useful. And…let's get started then," Liz said. The atmosphere of the room quieted, and all that could be heard were sounds of clicking and typing. This was one of our rare serious days.

I scanned through the first file: _Ferrari Purchase_. The page listed that Drake had bought a 2013 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta a few months ago, using…hm…a credit card? Could that be traced? Stuff like that was really Liz's specialty, but all Gallagher Girls knew at least a little bit. I clicked around and lost myself in a maze of numbers and letters.

Which eventually led to a dead end. I cursed mentally, but knew I had to keep my patience, saving the file for Liz or Jonas to go through later. There was still plenty of stuff to go through…

...

"I think we should take a break," Grant's voice piped up, the first time someone had talked in a while. My neck cracked as I looked up, noticing that it had been eight hours since we started.

"Yeah. I need to move around," Bex said.

Cammie rubbed her eyes, and everyone looked tired. "How about we have lunch?"

"A late lunch sounds good," I agreed.

Nick rang the small bell in the corner of the room, and Gerald instantly appeared. "Mr. Ferragamo, how may I help you?"

Nick said, "We would like some refreshments, Gerald. Eight steaks cooked medium well, lemonade, fresh fruit – " he looked at the rest of us to finish.

"Caviar," Macey said, rather pompously.

"Salad," Liz requested.

"Two large bags of Lay's barbecue potato chips," Grant added.

"Kit Kat bars and Swedish Fish," Cammie said.

"Chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate," Bex demanded.

Zach finished, "And Skittles." Cammie swiveled around to look at him. "What? Those are my favorite," Zach said, smirking. Hm. It was strange to think that the almighty Zach had a favorite candy, but I guess we're all susceptible to sugary indulgences sometimes.

Gerald nodded. "Right away, sirs and misses."

...

"Gerald is the best," Grant said afterwards, munching on his second bag of chips.

"That was seriously good," Bex agreed, eating Hershey's Kisses.

"I love sugar," Cammie sighed, breaking another Kit Kat bar in half.

Zach smirked, throwing a Skittle in the air and catching it in his mouth. "What would we do without it?"

Jonas and Liz were sharing some Fig Newtons – how cute!

"Low fat dark chocolate? What kind of chocolate bar is that?" someone read over my shoulder.

I turned. It was Nick, obviously. "It's better than the high-calorie greasy junk you're having."

Nick raised an eyebrow at the challenge. "Oh really? Try some of this." He tossed me a jar of something.

I caught it easily, reading the label. "Nutella? What's that?"

"What kind of rock do you live under?" he said, mocking me even in this curious cease-fire. "Just try it."

I narrowed my eyes at the seemingly innocent-looking jar. "It looks like chocolate."

"It's like healthy chocolate. But better," Nick promised.

I tentatively spooned some into my mouth and swallowed. "Oh my god."

"Great, isn't it?" Nick grinned.

"This is amazing," I said, eyes wide.

"Welcome to Wonderland," he said, eating out of his own jar. "It's supposed to be a spread, but I have it straight anyway."

"And it's so healthy!" I said, flipping the jar over and reading the Nutrition Facts.

"Well, well, Macey finally learned about Nutella," Bex said, appearing next to me and grinning.

"Why did you not tell me about this earlier?" I said.

Bex shrugged. "Thought you already knew about it. And we couldn't have convinced you to try it anyway…you'd think it was too fatty."

Her voice dropped and she whispered, "Only Nick could do that," before cackling and running away from my expected retribution.

"Okay, let's get back to work now," Jonas said after a while.

"Boo!" Nick said, throwing a banana peel at him. By now, the once-neat study was covered in wrappers, bags, and general trash (most of it from the boys. Most of it).

"Do we have to?" Bex said.

"Not really," Grant answered, spraying crumbs.

"I'm kind of high on sugar," Cammie admitted.

"But – " Jonas opened his mouth to deliver a lecture-slash-statement, but Liz stopped him.

"How about we close for today?" she said, putting a small hand on his shoulder.

Jonas sighed in defeat. "Well, I suppose we can summarize all that we found today and then continue tomorrow."

"And have the staff clean up this mess," I said, eyeing the piles of trash next to Grant's seat.

"So," Liz said brightly. "Who wants to go first?"

"I will," Grant said, clearing his throat. "So, apparently, Drake spends a lot of money on buying luxurious things, like boats, cars, etc. He looks like a supplier to a large organization. And he gets all the money from an unnamed source. I tried tracing it, but it didn't get anywhere." He shook his head.

"Me too," I volunteered. "The connection goes in circles, but it's pretty obvious he's in on some kind of drug cartel or something. All that money has to come from somewhere."

"Hopefully that's the secret organization we're trying to look for," Liz said. "Jonas and I can look at the files later. Anyone else?"

"I think I found the name of the organization," Zach said.

Instantly, we all fell quiet. This was a big breakthrough, as small as the information may have seemed. With the name, we would be able to narrow down our options and finally know a piece of something about what we were up against.

"What is it?" Cammie ventured to ask.

"The Sphere of Cavan."

Silence. I'm sure we were all struck by its eerie similarity to the other terrorist organization we had destroyed. Maybe it was meant to be like that; maybe it was a sister group. We didn't know. All we could do was hope we could take it down also.

"Well…that's…unoriginal," I managed to get out, feeling like somebody had to say something.

"How did you find that, Zach?" Jonas asked.

Zach shrugged. "It was hidden in code on a file labeled _S orders_."

"Do you think it's anything related to the Circle of Cavan?" Liz shuddered.

Bex said, "Probably. Remember what Mr. Solomon said: there's no such thing – "

"As a coincidence," Cammie, Liz and I finished with her.

We sat in more silence. Memories ran through my head – flashbacks on what had happened last time we had fought a society by the name of Cavan.

"Well," Grant said, "There's really nothing we can do now but keep researching and looking, is there?" He looked around. When he was met with blank stares, he said, frustrated, "Look, I know that you all are intimidated by the thought of a repeat of the Circle of Cavan, and this new organization might be. But the thing is, you guys took care of the Circle of Cavan. We're all sitting right here, aren't we? This is what we've been trained our whole lives for. Whatever comes, _we can take it_."

Bex stared at him in awe. "Where did that come from?"

"Coming from a guy who only loves food, very impressive," Nick teased.

Grant grinned sheepishly.

...

Cammie POV:

"It's four o'clock, what's up?" Macey asked, entering my room with Bex and Liz.

"Well, I was just going to take a nap, but I guess that's not going to happen," I said, letting my annoyance seep into my voice.

Bex grinned. "Oh, Cammie, what a life you would lead without us."

"Damn, you are _so_ lucky you have us to lead you!" Macey said, quoting Mean Girls effortlessly.

Liz laughed. "But really, we have time to kill before tomorrow."

"We're in San Francisco, guys! Let's hit the beach," Bex said, eyes bright.

"That's a great idea," Macey said deceptively calmly. But I had seen that look before.

"Oh, no you don't!" I managed to get out before racing out of the room.

A few broken chairs, a broom, an entire drawer's worth of forks and knives, and a very unfortunate fountain later, Macey almost had me tied up and was dragging me back to her room.

_Why do I seem to always be in these situations?_ I thought to myself, mentally sighing.

...

Bex POV:

Macey had opened her extravagantly large collection of bikinis (bikinis only, tankinis and one-pieces not allowed) to us. I picked out a Macey-approved sparkly black number, also taking a black see-through shirtdress as a coverup. After Macey did some light makeup, she added some beachy hairspray to make my hair look wavy and "voluptuous", as the bottle promised.

Liz and Cammie, however, needed more prodding.

"Liz, this is totally your color," Macey said, holding up a spunky emerald green halter bikini.

Liz bit her lip. "It seems really…revealing."

Macey said, "That's what you've said about all of them! Seriously, just try it on."

"It would look really nice on you," Cammie offered.

"Go," I said, pushing her toward the bathroom.

"No, no. Now, your turn," Macey said, grabbing Cammie, who was trying to slink out the door.

The girl under Macey's microscope groaned. "Why can't I just wear mine?"

"Because we all know you want to impress Zach," I said, grinning.

"Very true," Macey said, handing Cammie to me. "Make sure she doesn't run away." She turned to the closet, going through hangers at light speed. "Here," she finally said, pulling out a dramatic red one.

"Nice," I appraised. "Go and try it on, Cams."

Liz came out. "Um…does it look okay?"

"It looks great!" Cammie exclaimed. And it really did – showing off our friend's slender frame and making her skin glow.

I added, "Seriously, Liz. You have to wear it."

Liz turned to Macey, who always got the final word on anything fashion-related. She said simply, "It's got the Macey McHenry seal of approval."

Liz sighed. "I suppose…do you think Jonas will like it?"

Macey promised, "He'll love it. Come over here to let me do your hair." Liz sat obediently at the mirror, putting on a pale green sundress.

"You," Macey shot at Cammie, her hands already busy with Liz's hair, "hurry up and put the dang swimsuit on."

After Cammie sulked off, I asked Macey, "What are you wearing?"

She grinned mischievously. "This." She produced a dark leopard-print bikini.

I whistled. "Nick is going to be really happy with that."

"That's the plan," she said.

"Still hasn't asked you out yet?" Liz said.

Macey shook her head.

"Well, maybe today's the day," I said, patting her on the back.

"Maybe," she replied. "Alright, Liz, I'm done." Liz now had a neat braid down her back, and looked very summery in her dress.

Cammie came out of the bathroom. "I don't like it," she said grumpily.

"Well, I do," Macey said.

"It looks really good on you," Liz said, smiling.

I said, grinning, "Zach will love it."

"Oh, no." Cammie said. "I'm not letting him see me like this."

"Come on, this is worse than Liz!" I teased.

Macey rolled her eyes. "Wear this over it," she said, tossing Cammie a red plaid boyfriend shirt.

Cammie put the shirt on immediately and, knowing what was coming, sat at the vanity without being told.

"You're going to look gorgeous," Macey said, grinning.

* * *

**Greetings, readers. :P (I figured out how to do the line thingy! Heh) Sorry for the longish wait, but school has started and it's been SO BUSY! I think I'll try and update every Sunday from now on. Has everybody started school? If you haven't, I envy you… Please keep reviewing and have the bestest day! XD**

**- BubblesAndThings **

**P.S. I got a tumblr, so if any of you want to check it out, it's bubblesandthings . tumblr . com. (Without spaces). It's not Gallagher Girls related, so be forewarned. Kthxbi!**


	15. Chapter 15

Cammie POV:

The limo pulled up to a strip of private beach that Gerald had reserved for us. That guy was really beginning to grow on me.

"Thanks, Gerald!" Grant chirped, hopping out of the car. "You can come pick us up later."

Running across the sand, I stopped at the top of a hill to savor the view. The deep blue waves went on as far as the eye could see, smoothing out into a piece of brilliant glass and meeting the vibrant sky. The surfs broke onto a glistening golden shore and dark rocks ridged the ocean in the distance, forming an altogether very picturesque spot. I breathed in and inhaled the smell of salty ocean, feeling my worries evaporate in the sea spray. _This is paradise_.

"Come on, slowpoke!" Macey laughed, tugging my hand along. Our small group arrived at an assortment of tables and chairs, and I deposited my bag next to one.

Grant immediately pulled of his shirt, revealing very nicely toned abs. "Bex, let's go!" he said, picking her up bridal style and running toward the ocean. I could hear them laughing all the way to the water.

When Macey pulled off her coverup, I noticed that Nick's eyes immediately widened.

Macey tossed her model hair and said casually, "I think I'm going to tan. Want to rub lotion on my back for me, Nick?"

Eyes still slightly wider than normal, Nick gladly took the bottle.

"Liz…would you like to go for a walk?" Jonas asked softly.

Liz clasped his hand and said, smiling, "I would love to."

I slipped on my sunglasses and lay down on the chair, preparing to read my book.

"You're at the _beach_, Gallagher Girl, and you choose to read a book?" a voice said mockingly.

"Some of us actually read, Zach," I said mildly, not looking up.

The next thing I knew, the book was being yanked out of my hands, and I was being lifted up and carried away.

"Hey!" I yelled squirming in Zach's arms. "Put me down!"

"Okay," he said, dropping me right in the water.

Water engulfed me, tickling bubbles fizzing up everywhere. I righted myself in the water and dove downward. I could hold my breath for quite a long time, thanks to Gallagher training. Even though my shirt was weighing me down, I managed to swim over to a certain pair of legs and yank on them, hard, causing Zach to fall.

"Ha!" I popped up triumphantly.

"Good one, Gallagher Girl," he said, smirking.

I tried to ignore the fact that his dark hair was now very attractively wet, and his t-shirt was sticking to his muscles in a disturbingly good-looking fashion. He pulled off his shirt and tossed it onto the sand, and I couldn't help but stare and the marvelous set of toned, tanned abs that were revealed. Dangit, I had a weakness for abs.

"Enjoying the show?" I didn't have to look to know he was smirking.

"Maybe," I said, my own smirk playing at the corners of my mouth.

"Hey! I challenge you guys to a game of chicken!" Bex yelled from across the water.

I raised my eyebrow at Zach. "Well, we can't let Bex and Grant beat us."

Zach agreed, rolling his shoulders, "Yes, that would be a shame."

"You're on," I shouted to Bex.

Zach bent down in the water, and I smoothly slid onto his shoulders. Once we were upright, he said, "You know, Gallagher Girl, it would be easier if you took your shirt off."

I said to him, "Not a chance," and then turned my attention to the couple advancing toward us.

...

"No fair! You cheated that time," I complained, shaking my head and sending water droplets flying out of my hair.

"Who said kamikaze wasn't fair?" Grant teased, in the middle of his victory dance with Bex.

I narrowed my eyes. "Okay, if that's how you want to play it." I got back onto Zach's shoulders.

The current score was 6-6, tied. First one to 7 wins. Gallagher Girls get very competitive.

Grant made the first move, moving forward while Bex performed an abridged version of the Grigorevna Maneuver on me. I countered with my own weight and, in a surprise move, started tickling her.

Caught off guard, Bex started giggling and twisting. At that moment, Zach hooked his foot around Grant's ankle and yanked, sending both of them into the water.

"Yes!" I cheered, pumping my fist. "We win!"

"Whoo!" Zach cheered with me, and then leaned backward, dumping me into the water also.

I came up, shirt thoroughly sodden by now. "You butt," I said, flipping my hair out of my eyes.

Zach smirked, green eyes twinkling.

"Hey, Cammie, you can take your shirt off now," Macey called from the shore.

I rolled my eyes, and started to unbutton it. My need to be free of the weight was starting to outweigh my desire to keep my dignity. Oh well. I sloshed through the water and draped the shirt onto my chair to dry.

I heard a wolf whistle behind me and turned around to see Zach smirking at me. "You know, Gallagher Girl, you don't look half bad."

My cheeks reddened. "Gee, thanks. It means a lot."

"I know," he said cockily.

"That was sarcasm," I replied brusquely, walking away.

"Where are you going, Gallagher Girl?" he said, following me.

I found a good spot and plopped down in the sand. "I'm going to make a sand castle."

"Okay," he said, smirking and sitting down beside me. He scooped sand up with his hands. "I'll help."

Zach and I ended up constructing a five-story masterpiece of a sand castle, complete with a moat, drawbridge, and little turrets for protection against enemies.

I sat back on my heels and looked at the very elegant pile of sand. "It looks really good."

"Of course it does, Gallagher Girl," Zach said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and smirking. "We made it."

Macey walked toward us. "Cute sand castle, guys."

I stuck my tongue out at her. "Says the girl who spent the whole time tanning."

"What?" she smirked. "I'm sure Nick enjoyed it."

"Let's dig a hole," Nick said suddenly.

"A hole?" I said, confused.

"Yeah," Grant said, emerging from the ocean and shaking his hair like a wet dog. "It'll be like a mini swimming pool!"

The girls shared a brief glance of doubt, but I guess we could give it a try…

"Sure," Liz said.

About half an hour later, as the product of frantic digging and careful architecture from Liz and Jonas, we had a knee-deep pool about twenty feet long and three feet wide.

"Well, I guess we can sit on the edge and soak our legs," Macey said.

The salt water felt good on my feet as I swirled my legs around, creating ripples in the water. The tides came in and out, cycling the water rhythmically.

"Look, the sun's about to set!" Bex said, pointing toward the horizon.

Streaks of red and yellow started to filter through the sky, changing the color of the horizon. The color accumulated at the middle of the skyline, gathering around the fiery ball of light as it descended. We sat in silence together, reveling in quiet companionship. It was a rare moment when everyone's guard was down – you can't be paranoid at the beach.

Zach sat next to me, his warm, strong arm around my waist. I leaned my head on his shoulder, feeling the grains of sand on his side.

"It's so pretty," I said quietly.

Zach's hand smoothed my hair. "Not as pretty as you," he said just as quietly.

I blushed, thinking of how just a few days ago, I thought he was a jerk. And maybe he still was. But right now, everything was okay.

...

Liz POV:

"OMG, guess what?" Macey squealed the next morning, after gathering the girls together for a top-secret meeting in her room.

"What?" I asked.

"Nick asked me out!" she shrieked.

"I'm so happy for you!" Cammie said, hugging her.

"Congrats," Bex said, grinning. "We all knew it was going to happen."

"It was a matter of time," I said, smiling knowingly.

"He was so sweet about it!" Macey said, still excited.

"Was at the beach?" I asked, now remembering that Macey had looked particularly happy after we got back.

She nodded. "He got down on one knee and everything, and gave me a necklace!"

Bex whistled. "Who can say no to that?"

"I know," she said, nodding happily. "I feel so lucky."

"Now the only person left is Cammie," Bex said playfully.

"Whoa, whoa," Cammie said, waving her arms. "Let's go to the study now, shall we?"

...

Still Liz POV:

"Okay, guys, Jonas and I think that now we've sorted through the more inconsequential stuff and established the fact that Drake funneled goods into the Sphere, we're going to get significant info today. So keep your eyes peeled," I said. We were again assembled in the study, everyone on a different computer. Now, I felt a hard undercurrent of grim determination.

It automatically fell silent as everyone started working. The first file said: _S orders, Rank Y_. I assumed that the "S" stood for Sphere of Cavan, making my way through the information. The page listed that Drake was to purchase 120 bottles of "Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Montrachet Grand Cru" wine from a high-end winery in France. Hm. Seems like the Sphere of Cavan liked their luxury, too. But it was a start.

...

I yawned as I opened the twentieth file. I hadn't really gotten anywhere, but I cold sense that I was making my way deeper into the pit. I absentmindedly browsed through the information, and then gasped quietly, sitting straight up.

I had found a file called _Matthew Morgan_.

Eyes wide, I scrolled quickly through the report. It detailed background info, whereabouts, and finally…the expected capture of Matthew Morgan. I felt my heart sinking in my chest as I read it again and digested the fatal words on the page.

The third read-through, I noticed that it hadn't said anything about whether the mission was successful or not. Quickly clicking to the next page, I scanned it keenly, only to find that it was about an expected shipment of gun cartridges. Shit.

My hand flew to my mouth as I accidentally cussed mentally. Oopsie daisy…but this was a situation for cursing if there ever was one. Cammie was not going to take this lightly. Neither were any of our friends, as a matter of fact. This being one of my first missions, it was starting to hit me that life in the R&D department wouldn't be as easy as I had thought.

I looked up, seeing that everyone was absorbed in their work. Sighing, I decided that the best course of action would be to save it for when we all shared information…and try to break the news as gently as I could.

...

"…so I found seven records of expected shipments of guns and stuff, so I think they're probably really well-funded and connected, and have plenty of weapons," Macey finished.

"Good job, Macey," Jonas said. We had all shared things that just confirmed what we were thinking – the Sphere of Cavan was just as dangerous as its predecessor. Maybe even more so. "Liz, have you got anything?"

I took a deep breath. "Yeah. I…found some pretty important stuff."

"Great! What is it?" Cammie asked eagerly. I looked at her, seriously unwilling to say anything. To break her heart. She didn't deserve it – she had endured too much already.

"Um…"

"Come on, Liz," Grant encouraged. "Don't be shy."

All my spy instincts were screaming at me to just spit it out, already, so I got out, "Cammie's father – they tried to capture him."

Everyone's faces registered shock, sadness, and realization, Cammie's especially. I hated having to say it, but it would be better for her to know, right?

"…And were they successful?" Cammie asked, an unreadable expression on her face.

"It didn't say," I said, looking down. I couldn't bear to look at her right now.

After more silence – "I don't understand," Cammie choked out. Then, she got up and ran out of the room.

"Cammie!" I said, reaching out futilely to her.

"It's alright, Liz," Bex said sadly, putting her hand on my shoulder. "There's nothing we can do."

I shook my head, sadness trickling through my mask.

"Liz, don't cry," Jonas said softly, reaching up to wipe away my tears. "It's not your fault."

I leaned into Jonas' embrace. "I didn't mean to…"

"I know, I know," he said.

* * *

**Hi everybody! Yes, new chappie, and I actually quite like this one. :P Happy Labor Day Weekend! = no school for me! Yay…hope everyone enjoys the time off, or at least enjoys the last few days before school starts. Please keep reviewing, hugs and kisses for you all!**

**- BubblesAndThings**


	16. Chapter 16

Cammie POV:

"Cammie?" Liz's voice timidly rang out from the other side of my door. I was reminded of another time where I had sat in my room and my friends had come to comfort me. Except this time it was different.

I wiped my eyes, not wanting anyone to see me like this. "Please leave me alone."

There was some whispering, and Bex burst through the door. "Hi, Cams."

I immediately buried my head in my pillow, not wanting any of them to see me like this. Spies aren't supposed to have weaknesses. "Go away."

Three weights settled on the bed next to me. I felt someone's hand pat my shoulder.

Macey said, "Cammie, don't worry about it – "

"How can I not worry about it? It's about my _dad_!" I said from the pillow.

"But it's good news," Liz said.

"How is it good news?" I demanded.

"Well, it's better than not knowing where he is at all. This way, he might still be…alive."

I only sniffled in reply.

"Look at it this way – at least you have a father," Macey said.

"What about – " Bex started to say.

"_The Senator_," Macey said it like I would say _dog poop_ or _Zachary Goode_, "is not my father. He's my legal guardian. That's it."

Liz sighed. "Cammie, the point is, knowing this means that your father still has a chance of being alive, and that we're on his trail. We're getting closer to him this way."

Bex added, "And once we bust the Sphere of Cavan open, we can definitely find out what happened. We promise…on my Baxter honor."

I almost smiled into the pillow. Bex's Baxter name had shaped her in many ways, and the family legacy was something that she carried with great pride.

Macey's hand (I could tell because of the long nails) softly smoothed out my hair, untangling it gently and rearranging the strands. "Cammie, I know this is hard on you. We've lost people, too. But you can power through it. Know that everything we're doing right now only brings you nearer to your dad."

"We'll help you, Cammie," Liz said, unfailingly earnest. "You know we will."

"And with us, how can you fail?" Bex said, utterly confident in our abilities. "We'll beat the Sphere of Cavan just like we beat the Circle, even if it takes ten years."

"And this time…we have backup," Macey said. "Zach is looking out for you."

"And he's no small backup," Bex said, almost teasingly.

"Okay, Cammie?" Liz asked quietly.

I took a while to answer. I sat up slowly, hugging the pillow to my chest and finally looking at all of them. My friends – who would be here for me no matter what.

"Thanks, guys," I said softly.

"We love you, Cammie," Bex said. They were all looking at me solemnly. I felt thankful that I had been given such wonderful friends. Especially in the spy world – when people you could really trust were few and far in between.

Macey saw my expression, and with her uncanny ability to read each of us, she knew exactly what I was feeling. She hugged me and said, "Let it out, Cammie."

I leaned into my friends. And then I cried.

I cried for a long while.

...

"Can I come in?" a familiar deep voice asked, accompanied by knocking.

"When did you learn to knock?" I tried to joke. I was sitting in my room, feeling dry after letting all my tears out. I wasn't feeling up to eating the dinner that Liz had brought me. Pajama-clad, I sat on the bed and picked at the tray.

"The day Jonas learned to cook," Zach said, smirking slightly and sitting next to me. He turned serious. "Gallagher Girl, I wanted to let you know that you're not alone."

"Not alone in what?" Curious, I turned to face him.

"I've lost someone, too," he said, looking intensely at me.

The cloud that had been hovering over me ever since Liz had told us the awful news darkened. I said as softly as I could, "Who?"

"My father." His voice was just as soft as mine.

My eyes fixed on the bed sheet. "I would say I'm sorry, but I know you don't want to hear that."

"No, I've heard that often enough."

I hated to ask, but did anyway. "What happened?"

Zach took a breath, as if trying to release all the tension that had accumulated inside him. Then he began.

"My mother was an awful woman. When she and my father got married, it was a troubled match from the start. They never did get divorced, but I would go to bed every night hearing them shout at each other. My father never knew she was a spy – he worked in finance. Accounting. I think it bothered him that she hid so much from him. My mother was a part of the Circle of Cavan, an important member." Zach's eyes flicked toward me. I nodded, having known the fact from the moment we had officially taken down the Circle. I shuddered faintly as I repressed memories of the woman known as Catherine Goode.

Zach continued, "I don't remember an exact moment when it started getting worse. All I remember is that one night, the yelling was particularly bad. I couldn't sleep, so I climbed out of bed and went to the study, where my parents always fought." Zach's eyes clouded.

"I was eight at the time, still innocent. I remember cracking open the door, and finding my parents standing opposite each other across from a desk. My mother heard the door open, and her neck swiveled around and she pinned me down with her eyes.

"_Go back to bed, Zachary," she said harshly._

_I cringed away from her iron stare. Her husband looked on disapprovingly. He never liked the way my mother treated me._

"_Go, Zach," he said gently. While the other parent had refused to call me by my nickname from the start, he always called me Zach. It was like they wanted me to be two different people._

_When my father saw the beginnings of stubbornness in my eyes, he said, "We'll see you in the morning."_

_I reluctantly removed my hand from the doorway and trotted back to my room. The yelling resumed._

"The next morning, my parents were eerily quiet. Breakfast was eaten in silence. My father said a good-bye to my mother and me and headed to work. I will never forget that last image of him – dressed in a suit, with his briefcase, attempting to smile as he waved farewell."

Zach swallowed, his eyes wavering. I found his hand and squeezed it, encouraging him to go on.

"At dinner, he still hadn't come home. It was an 'accident', a car crash. At least that's what the obituary said. And he was gone. Just like that. Next thing I knew, we were staring at his coffin being lowered into the ground. My mother was next to me, and her face had no expression. What scared me most were her eyes – green but flat, and stone cold. Those eyes which could sentence someone to death in an instant."

I was silent. Zach's story was truly worse than mine. I had two loving parents growing up, and he…he had a murderer of a mother. Someone who would kill her own husband.

"When I turned twelve, my mother sent me to Blackthorne. I learned all that I know now from them. I became a spy. An assassin."

"You're not an assassin," I said. "You're better than that."

"Am I?"

Those two words hung in the air. They reminded me that being a spy was not all that it seemed – there was a heavy personal price to pay. And Zach was wrestling with himself because of it.

"You are not your mother," I said, looking him in the eyes. "The very fact that you work for the CIA says it. You took care of me when I was injured. You're infuriatingly cocky, but – " I cut myself off.

"You love me anyway?" Zach said, a trace of his smirk appearing.

"I was trying to make you feel better!" I said, slapping his arm playfully.

"I know. Thank you," he said seriously, before wrapping me in his arms.

We sat there for a while in comfortable silence until he asked, "Do you know what we're doing tomorrow?"

I frowned. "Liz said that we were planning things tomorrow, nothing much. She and Jonas have an idea, I think."

His smirk appeared. "Good."

"How is that good?" I demanded.

No matter how much I pushed, he wouldn't tell me. Before I drifted off to sleep in his arms, I realized that part of the cloud had lifted.

...

Macey POV:

"Okay, guys. The CIA processed the audio from Drake's bugs so far. He found most of them, but we still have a bit of information." Liz was explaining an email that she had recently gotten from our agency.

"Basically, Drake's leaving for somewhere in a few days. Sphere orders. We have to catch him while he's still here, otherwise he'll disappear into the web again."

"We had an idea," Jonas said. "Actually, it was Liz's idea."

"No, it was yours!"

"Liz, take credit for it. You came up with – "

"Well, what about that part where – "

"Hey, how about we hear the idea now?" I interrupted, raising an eyebrow at the two of them.

"Right," Liz said, blushing slightly. "We want to contact Drake – we think we know enough from the files to make it look like the Sphere – and invite him somewhere. A trap."

"I like where this is going," Bex said, grinning. "So when he walks into our trap, we catch him and knock him out?"

"It's not that easy," Jonas warned. "It's going to be difficult to make an email look authentic to Drake. And it has to be some kind of believable situation."

"Well, how about a party?" Cammie suggested. "It is my birthday. And it looks like the Sphere has plenty of parties." I was glad that she said the name without shuddering. We were all glad that she had come out of her misery – it looked more like determination now. I had heard Zach talking in her room last night…hm. I would have to interrogate her about that later.

"Not a bad idea," Nick mused.

"So we just invite him to a party?" Grant said. "Will he take the bait?"

"Honeypot?" I said.

Zach said, "Drake likes ladies. He'll fall for it if he's drunk enough."

"We'll have to spike the punch, then," Bex said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Anyway…" Liz said, uncomfortable with the new development, "the first hurdle is sending the invitation. We'll have to invite other people, too. It's going to have to be a big one."

"Okay," I said, almost rubbing my hands together in expectation. "How soon do you think you can send the invite?"

Jonas furrowed his brow. "Well, we have to get possible recipients from the CIA database and determine which ones are acceptable and won't get hurt if there's a skirmish and which ones to be satisfactorily quote unquote 'bad' and not to mention – "

Nick held up his hand. "Whoa. How long?"

Liz and Jonas looked at each other and did some kind of telepathy, and then Liz answered hesitantly, "Seven hours?"

Jonas added, "And that counts you guys helping us."

We all looked at each other for a moment, and then I rolled up my sleeves and said, "What do we do first?"

...

Cammie POV:

I was just about to trudge into my room and collapse onto my bed when Macey grabbed my arm and said, "Nope, Cammie. You're coming with us."

"Come on," I complained. It had been a long day. First, Liz and Jonas had us sending emails back and forth with the CIA, deciding whom to invite. We had compiled an invite list and carefully formatted the invitation so that it screamed "VIP Party", and then let our tecchies hack into Drake's email and format it some more. I had lost track around five or six hours how much work we were doing. But we had succeeded – Drake had sent an email back saying that he would come.

"Let's go," Bex said, appearing next to me.

Liz smiled cheerfully from Macey's side, saying, "It won't hurt, we promise."

"Sure," I groaned, as Macey led me to her room and plopped me onto her bed. "Why am I here again?"

"It's a surprise," Bex said mischievously. "But we're supposed to get you ready."

"What surprise? Tell me!"

"No way," Macey said, rummaging through her closet.

"You'll love it, though," Liz said, smiling.

"Aha!" Macey pulled out a rather intimidating dress bag from the depths of her gargantuan wardrobe.

"Oh, no," I said, backing up immediately. "I am not doing anything that includes dressing up."

"Come on, Cammie, it's all for a good cause!" Liz said innocently.

"Or if you don't, we'll make you," Bex said briskly.

I knew from experience that if I decided to make a run for it, Bex would catch me. I could take Bex with a little bit of luck, but if Macey joined in, I had no chance. Liz would most likely stand to the side and try not to get involved. With all this running through my head, I sighed and said, "Okay."

"Good choice," Macey said, eyes twinkling. She pulled out the dress. "Why don't you put the dress on first?"

* * *

**Hewwo everybody! Yes, I know that I didn't update last week…but in my defense, I was busy camping with my school! It was awesome, thanks for asking. ;) I think this is my longest chapter yet, so hooray for long chapters! Not-so-pleasantly surprised by the lack of reviews…so review please? Thanks a bunch! (Heart)**

**- BubblesAndThings**

**P.S. Shout out to my friend TheAwesomeBunny, who has some of the craziest reviews I've ever seen. :P**


	17. Chapter 17

I stood in front of the mirror, my friends gathered next to me. Macey's dress was actually something that I liked: strapless floor-length white with gold and silver leaf detailing on the side, and a slit in the front. I didn't particularly like the slit, but this was about as tame as it got with Macey. She had done my makeup and worked her magic again, and my hair was glossy and straightened. I felt like a freaking angel.

"You look amazing," Liz gushed.

"I like the dress," I admitted, fingering the white folds.

"I knew you would," Macey said, grinning.

"That's our girl," Bex said. "Shall I lead her out then?"

Macey nodded, she and Liz waving goodbye as Bex dragged me to the mansion's door. Gerald nodded at us and opened it, revealing a limo already parked and waiting for me.

"Now, be sure to enjoy yourself and have fun, alright?" Bex said. "And don't worry about us, we'll be partying it up too. Just make sure not to have _too_ much fun." She winked.

"Wait, I'm going by myself?" I said, confused.

"Yep," she said, pushing me to limo. "Someone's waiting for you."

"Why do I have the feeling you're sending me to a terrorist organization?"

I heard Bex laugh as the car drove away.

...

The limo stopped at a boat dock, and the driver had pointed me toward a certain yacht floating in the harbor. He had then driven away, leaving me with a sense of helplessness. I finally decided to board the boat, figuring that even if it was a terrorist, I could probably take him, and Liz had a tracker on me permanently anyway.

My outrageously high heels clicked on the pavement as I made my way to the boat, where another butler bowed and gestured for me to go up the stairs. Once on the deck, I found someone.

"I should've known you were behind all of this," I said.

Zach smirked and handed me a rose. "Care to join me, Gallagher Girl?"

I took the rose, inhaling its sweet scent. I was beginning to get a faint idea of what my "surprise" was. I followed him into a room, set up with candles and a fancy dinner and everything. Zach, I noticed, was wearing a tux. It didn't look half bad, either.

"How did you manage to convince my friends to do this?" I asked, sitting down on the chair that he pulled out for me.

"They didn't need much convincing," Zach said. "As soon as I got everything out, they all squealed and Macey said something about a dress…"

I laughed. "Sounds like my friends, all right. What are they going to be doing while we have dinner?" I was still partly in shock at the idea that Zach would do this for me – for _me_, the Chameleon.

"Don't worry. Grant, Jonas, and Nick are taking them out, too."

"So it's basically date night?"

"Only if you want it to be," he said, cocking an eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes. "Typical Zach."

He grinned, an actual smile. It was pretty much the first time I'd seen him do it. My hand flew to my chest and I gasped, "Zachary Goode! Smiling?"

"What can I say? You bring it out in me."

This unexpectedly corny statement left me blushing like crazy. "How flattering of you," I said.

He smirked. "The ladies love it."

"…And we're back to regular Zach now." After I said this, a waiter came in, bringing out a starter salad course. Macey and the girls had told me before that all the staff would be informed, so there was no need for covers.

The waiter said, "Mr. Goode and Ms. Morgan, what would you like to drink?"

I looked up at him, considering. I hadn't had the chance to eat whatever I wanted in a while, and I was going to take full advantage of it. "A Cherry Coke, please. Actually, make that two."

"I'll have cream soda," Zach said.

The waiter bowed. "May I get you anything else?"

"No thanks," I said. After he left, I eyed the silverware. "Wow, a full course meal. Fancy."

"Well, you're going to have to get used to it; this is what we're having at your party," Zach said.

I groaned. "Oh, right. I forgot." Then, I realized something. "Do you even know how to use this kind of silverware?"

Zach looked offended. "Of course I do, my dear Charlotte. A cultured man like myself was born knowing how to use cutlery."

In spite of myself, I giggled. "Well, then, I underestimated you, Avan," I said, batting my eyelashes like the sweet socialite I was.

Our drinks arrived, and Zach picked up his with a flourish. "Cheers," he said.

"Cheers," I echoed, sipping the drink. The Coke fizzed down my throat, and I had to stop myself from drinking it all in one gulp. Ahh. It was so good.

"Charlotte, in lieu of your upcoming birthday, would you take the first bite?" Zach said, gesturing to the plate.

"Oh, Avan, how charming of you," I said, picking up the heavy fork. The salad was delicious, of course.

The rest of the dinner passed away in a blur of conversation and banter between the two of us. And I really did enjoy myself.

...

"That was great, Zach," I said. Dinner was over, and we went out to the deck to admire the night sky. I stood at the prow, feeling the wind in my dress and my hair blowing back.

His arms slid around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder, comforting me with his warmth. "I'm glad you liked it."

I fought the urge to move away from his close proximity – I wasn't exactly comfortable in these situations. But it felt nice in a way…I leaned into his strong embrace and watched the waves around us.

After a silence, I said, "Why me?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean, why did you choose me? You could have Macey or Bex or any one of those supermodel girls…why _the Chameleon_, of all people?"

Zach turned me to face him, his face serious. He held my hands in his and said sincerely, "Cameron Ann Morgan…you are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. I knew that from the time I saw you in that Sphere cell and you were unconscious and bloody and…I don't even want to think about it. I love the way you talk with your friends, I love the way your hair shines in the sunlight, and I love the way you bite your lip when you're nervous. And that's why I chose you."

I could feel my heart beating at warp speed through my veins, and I was pretty sure my cheeks were on fire. His green eyes gleamed in the starlight. I felt the full impact of those eyes, just like the first day when I met him. My pulse pounded as he slipped one hand around my waist and tilted my chin up with the other.

He was so close that I could feel his hot breath on my cheeks, his nose almost brushing mine.

I closed my eyes.

A pair of warm lips covered mine, and I felt like my whole body was ablaze. Electricity shot down my body, evoking feelings that I didn't know I had. I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around his neck.

We both pulled back at the same time, and I saw that Zach was smiling the biggest smile. He pulled me to him, enveloping me in his arms, and I laid my head on his chest. "Thank you, Cammie."

"I should be thanking you," I said, laughing slightly shakily. "That was the best kiss I've ever had."

"Even better than that boy Jack?" he asked cockily.

I smacked him playfully. "How do you know about Josh?"

He smirked. "I have my ways."

"Well, if you must know, yes, it was better than Josh's kisses."

"Good," he said, still smirking. "Because I am better."

"Whatever you say," I said, smiling.

...

Bex POV:

"Howdiditgohowdiditgohowdidit go?" Macey asked, barging into Cammie's room at exactly 7 in the morning.

"What?" the girl in question said groggily, not even attempting to get up.

Macey all but bounced on the bed. "You and Zach!"

"We know something happened," I sang.

"Macey, don't sit on her!" Liz said.

"Well, she'd better tell me before I have Bex _do things_," Macey threatened.

"Okay, okay," Cammie said, sitting up tiredly. She began, "So we had dinner at the boat, which was really nice – "

"We know, you're welcome," I said knowledgeably.

Cammie shot me a half exasperated, half I-don't-know-what-to-think look. She continued, "…and then we went out onto the deck, and he um…"

"He kissed you, didn't he?" Macey said, completely calmly.

Cammie looked surprised. "Um…how did you know?"

Macey shrugged, with a little smile on her lips. "I just knew."

"So did he?" Liz asked, wanting the fact to be completely confirmed before freaking out.

"Yes, Liz, he did," Cammie sighed.

"Yay!" Liz squealed, throwing her skinny arms around her. "We've been waiting for so long for that to happen!"

"For a long time," I agreed, grinning at Cammie.

"Good job, Cams," Macey said, a satisfied grin on her face. She joined in on the hug.

"I'm so proud of you," I said, pounding her not-so-gently on the back.

Cammie coughed. "Ack, can I breathe?"

"You finally kissed your future husband. Let us have a _moment_," Macey scolded.

Cammie waited exactly five more seconds, and then extracted herself from the sheets and the hug. "I love you guys and all, but I'm going to dress now."

"I'm dressing you today," Macey said. "We scheduled the party for tomorrow, so we have all day to do things."

"Really?" Cammie's voice was a mixture of surprise and fear. She turned to me.

"Yep," I said, cracking my knuckles. "The guys are taking us out."

Liz added, "It's basically a rest day before the big event."

"Well, that certainly doesn't require a put-together outfit, now does it?" Cammie said nervously. She scooted subtly away from Macey.

"Oh, of course it does, Cammie dear," Macey said. "Don't make this any harder than it has to be."

A fleeting glimpse of rebellion appeared in Cammie's eyes, but it was gone in an instant. She scrunched up her face and said, "Okay. Do whatever you want to me."

"Yay!" Liz said, clapping her hands together.

Macey stopped rummaging through her closet. "Wait a second…does anyone know what type of dates the guys have planned?"

We each shook our heads. Macey let out a frustrated growl, and said, "I'm going to interrogate Nick."

"I'll come with you," I said.

"We'll all come," Cammie said, sighing and running a hand through her hair. "Wouldn't want miss an outfit opportunity, now, would we?"

* * *

**Hello, friends! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but school's been pretty busy. :/ I'm so happy that our couple FINALLY got together! Whoo! Question: where do you think the boys are going to take the girls on dates? Review because of Zammie! ;) Love you all and have a good week!**

**- BubblesAndThings **


	18. Chapter 18

Bex POV:

"Nick!" Macey yelled as we walked downstairs, where the guys were lounging around the kitchen.

"Yes, dearest?" Nick answered lazily, drawing his fork around the syrup on his plate.

"You have to tell us what type of dates we're going on so we'll know what to wear," Macey demanded.

Nick smirked. "How about…no?"

I said pointedly to Grant, "I would rather you do."

Grant paled a bit, but said, "No thank you."

I folded my arms and glared at him, not wanting to hurt him _too_ much, but wanting to throttle him anyway.

"How about a compromise?" Zach said, smirking as always. "We'll each tell you one word about the date, and that's all you get."

"No way," Cammie argued. "That's too little information."

"It's that or nothing," Zach said, his infuriating smirk getting bigger.

We looked at each other, and simultaneously came to a decision. Something was better than nothing, right?

"Okay," Macey said, narrowing her eyes. "Shoot."

Nick said, "Wine."

Grant: "Shooting."

Jonas: "Park."

Zach: "Me."

Cammie exploded, "What's that supposed to mean? _Zachary Goode_ is not in any way some kind of fucking clue!"

Zach's smirk was literally the biggest I'd ever seen it. "Of course it is. You get to have this," he gestured to his body, "all to yourself."

"Ugh!" Cammie threw up her hands and stomped out the door.

I threw Grant a dirty look and followed her, Macey coming with me.

Liz said a quick "thank you" to Jonas, pecked him on the cheek, and scurried out the door after us.

...

Macey stood with her hands on her hips in front of her closet, grimacing. She muttered to herself while yanking clothing off hangers, considering it for a moment, and then tossing whatever it was out. The rest of us waited patiently on the sidelines, having watched her go through the process many times. Sooner or later, she would magically have perfect outfits for each of us.

"Okay," Macey said finally. She rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. "These boys better be ready to pay for the stress they've produced."

We crowded around her, looking at the four outfits laid out across her bed.

There was a tasteful red couture dress with a relatively reasonable neckline and a crystal necklace and black pumps to go with it.

A cheerful black and white polka-dot dress was paired with a pink belt, black tights, and white beaded flats.

Black stud earrings went with a tight-fitting tank top, cutoff denim shorts, black ripped tights, converse, and a hoodie.

And finally, a white blazer with the sleeves rolled up had a blue tank top to go underneath, form-fitting gray wash jeans, and white medium-height pumps.

"Liz, this is yours," Macey said, handing her the polka-dot dress. "It's the best I could do for something in a park, probably a picnic.

"This is Bex's," she continued, scowling slightly as she handed Bex the black outfit. "If you're going to be shooting anything, wear black. I don't even know what kind of shooting it is though, so you might be overdressed.

"Cammie's…is the blazer outfit," she said, gesturing to the clothing. No idea what Zach was talking about, so just make the best of it, I guess.

"And I'm taking the last dress," she finished. "Now go get dressed."

Liz chirped, "Thanks, Macey!"

"Yeah, thanks Mace," I said, grinning and taking the clothes.

"Do I have to put it on?" Cammie said, eyeing the pumps.

"Yes. You do," Macey said, handing her the outfit and pushing her toward the bathroom.

Cammie groaned and dragged herself toward the bathroom.

I caught a satisfied smirk from Macey as she closed the door.

...

Liz POV:

I walked out the door, hand in hand with Jonas. The dress was beautiful, and I saw Jonas' eyes widen when he saw me. He himself had on jeans and a plaid button-down, and looked quite handsome.

My own eyes widened as I saw what was parked in the driveway. A scooter. One of those old-timey, red, couples-were-made-to-ride-this scooters. I stopped immediately, jerking on Jonas' hand.

"No, I'm not getting on that," I said, shaking my head vigorously.

Jonas turned toward me. "Aw, Liz," he said, giving me a puppy dog face. "Just this once."

"No thank you."

Jonas pushed, "Wasn't it Henry Ford that said, 'Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this.'"

I finished reluctantly, "'For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward.'"

Jonas smiled at me, making my heart melt. "For me?" He handed me a red helmet.

I sighed. "Once. For you." Sliding the helmet on and securing the straps, I stepped delicately onto the scooter. Jonas sat in front of me and started the engine.

I tightened my arms around his waist and held on for dear life as the scooter sped out of the driveway. "Jonas?" I yelled over the sound of rushing wind.

"Yes, Liz?" he replied.

"Do you even know how to drive this thing?"

There was a pause. "Maybe?"

...

Macey POV:

"Hi, honey," Nick said, smirking at me as I came down the staircase. He was wearing a casually styled tuxedo, and I felt secret relief that I was dressed appropriately.

"Don't tell me you're learning from Zach now, _sweetheart_," I shot back. Nick and I might have been a couple, but we were far from a quiet one. A healthy amount of bickering was involved.

His smirk grew. "Shall we go now, love?" he said, offering me his arm.

"I would simply be delighted," I said, smirking back and looping my arm through his.

Nick nodded to Gerald as he opened the limo door.

"Oh, dear, a limo! For me?" I said, settling into the luxury car.

"Only the best for you, babycakes," he said. "Champagne?"

"So, darling, where are we going?" I said, accepting the small glass.

"To us," he said, toasting. I echoed, and sipped the fizzing drink.

"And that," he said wickedly, "is a surprise."

...

Bex POV:

"You look hot," Grant said, grinning impishly as I saw him.

I rolled my eyes, but smiled anyway. "So do you." And he did. He was wearing a tight-fitting black shirt and black jeans with a belt.

"So, can we go?" he said, exhibiting eagerness with every step.

I nodded. "Race you!" We both took off sprinting, reaching a large matte black motorcycle parked in the driveway.

"I won that one," he said, panting.

"No way," I said, only protesting faintly. My eyes were on the motorbike. "Can I drive?"

"That's my British Bombshell," he said, grinning approvingly and mussing up my hair. "Go ahead."

I hopped enthusiastically onto the bike, having driven these many times before in London. Hey, you can't be the girl version of James Bond without having a motorcycle, can you?

Grant whooped as I gunned the engine and peeled out.

It was only after we reached the end of the street that I realized, "Where are we going?"

"I'll tell you the directions," he said.

I growled, "If I wasn't driving I would make you tell me where we're going."

I felt, rather than saw, him smile. "I know. That's why I let you drive."

"Fine," I said, letting myself smile a bit. "Tell me where to go."

...

Cammie POV:

I smoothed out the lapels on my blazer as I looked at myself in the mirror. I normally wouldn't have cared what I looked like or what I was wearing, but this was Zach. He was the first boy that I had let get close to me after Josh. As memories of the first boy flooded my head, I pushed them away. It wasn't advisable to think about someone else on my first date with Zach. Was this even a first date? I didn't even know…I had kissed him, yes, but he hadn't officially asked me out yet.

I was beginning to sound like Macey. Mentally sighing, I wondered how on earth going on a date would ever be harder than being a spy.

Glancing at the mirror one last time, I walked down the stairs. I looked around, only to be met by silence echoing around an empty house. Macey had given the staff the day off ("And you're lucky I am, what with the insufficient service you provide! I told Charlotte she should've gone to London.") Clunking as quietly as I could in my heels through the rooms, I peered around corners, every sense on alert. That's why I was highly surprised when someone picked me up and literally _tossed_ me over their shoulder. I didn't struggle, though, because only one person would pick me up as gently as they did.

"Zach!" I half-shrieked, half-squealed. I normally wouldn't get caught dead doing the "girly-squealy" thing, but something about Zach brought out the non-spy girl in me.

"Yes, Gallagher Girl?" he said in his deep voice that gave me little shivers every time I heard it.

"Put me down," I said, trying and failing to sound as commanding as possible.

He said cockily, "No, you shouldn't have let me catch you in the first place. What would Solomon think?"

"You know Mr. Solomon?" I asked.

As he was pausing to give me an answer, I twisted his arm that was holding me and kicked off, somersaulting over his shoulder and diving into a ninja roll. Sliding my legs underneath him, I pinned him down quickly onto the hardwood floor, not even breathing hard as I watched his green eyes beneath me.

His mouth quirked into a half-smile. "The ninja roll was a nice touch."

I smiled slightly. "Thanks. Now tell me where we're going."

"Let me up and I will."

"No way. I know better than to trust you with that."

"You don't trust me?" he said, giving me a rather sad imitation of puppy dog eyes.

I shook my head, grinning. "Nope."

"Well, then – " Zach rolled unexpectedly through my limp grip. He didn't attack me again, but offered his hand and a smirk. "Shall we go?"

"Okay," I said, taking it. He intertwined our fingers, and it kindled a warm fire underneath me.

As we were walking through the door, I said, "But really, how do you know Mr. Solomon?"

He smirked at me, and said, "That's a story for another time."

The only vehicle of transportation parked in the driveway was a flaming red-colored convertible, one that practically got in your face and screamed, "I HAVE MORE MONEY THAN YOU!"

Eyeing the car, I stopped when Zach pulled open the passenger's seat for me. Cocking an eyebrow, I asked him, "Weren't we supposed to 'lie low' for today?"

Smirking, he replied, "Yeah, but I figured we could lie low and look rich at the same time."

"Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes and relaxing in the front seat.

Zach revved the engine and smirked at me, clearly enjoying the chance to show off. I punched him in the arm none-too-lightly and scolded, "Let's get going already!"

After staying there for an extended time just to make me annoyed, the engine roared and we zoomed off.

My hair immediately entangled on itself, and I dug a rubber band out of my pocket and tied up the product of Macey's careful handiwork. Sliding my sunglasses on, I leaned out the window and whooped. I heard Zach laugh beside me, and I didn't really care if we looked like the craziest people on earth. I loved sticking my head out the window of a car – it just let my worries fly away in the wind, too slow to catch up.

I turned to look at Zach, and my breath hitched for a second when I saw how good he looked in that moment. I realized this was more than just a mere crush that I had with Josh. This was something special…something that could last a long time. He turned to smile at me, and I grinned back.

Settling back into the plush leather seat, I asked, "So, where are we going?"

Zach sighed in mock disappointment. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

I shook my head. "For all I know, you're shipping me off to Timbuktu. So, no."

"Do you really distrust me that much?" he said seriously. I could feel his bright green eyes pierce me behind the sunglasses.

After considering for a moment, I admitted, "No."

He smirked and nodded. "Good."

After a silence, I said, "So…where are we going again?"

* * *

**Hi guys! First off, let me apologize for not updating earlier. I've been quite busy for a while, but I finally found some time to write because of Thanksgiving break (I got the whole week off, what about everyone else?) Whoohoo! Hope you guys are having a good Thanksgiving; I certainly have been eating loads. XD Hugs and kisses and love for everybody! *Heart***

**- BubblesAndThings**


	19. Chapter 19

Liz POV:

The scooter sped into a peaceful meadow. Flowers dotted the fresh green grass, bordering a serene little pond. Trees rimmed the distance and marshmallow clouds floated in the azure sky.

I stepped carefully off the scooter, lifting my dress. Turning to Jonas, I said, "Thank you so much. This place is beautiful."

Jonas smiled. "I'm glad we can appreciate it together." He untied a picnic basket from the scooter and brought out a folded picnic blanket. "Would you like to pick a spot?"

I smiled, surveying the land, and plopped down onto a patch of grass next to the pond. "Here!"

Jonas spread out the picnic blanket, and since it was too early to eat lunch, we both laid down on our backs. "Let's cloudgaze!" I said, giggling.

"Okay," he agreed. "Um…that one looks like a microscope."

I looked at the cloud critically. "How is that in any way a microscope?"

"Well, that part's the base, that part's the eyepiece, that part's the arm…"

I stopped him with a hand, laughing. "Okay, Jonas, I believe you."

"Now you find one," he prompted, amused.

"That one looks kind of like…a Pikachu."

Jonas gasped twisting around to face me. "You played Pokémon?"

"Who didn't?" I replied, a smile playing around my lips. I propped myself up on an elbow.

"Pokémon was my childhood," he said.

"What version did you play?" I asked, completely seriously.

"All of them, but Diamond is my favorite. I beat it six times."

"I liked Diamond, but Platinum has to be my favorite. The effects of the Distortion World were simply amazing."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Who was your starter?"

We proceeded to have a long, animated conversation about Pokémon, and then other topics. In the middle of talking about Star Trek, I realized that I had finally found someone as nerdy as me. And that someone was Jonas.

...

Macey POV:

The limo pulled up to Vino Volo, a high-end winery. Nick exited the car and helped me out.

Tasteful silver letters emblazoned with the logo stood above the doorway. Inside, wine racks were filled with all sorts of bottles and colors. Plush red armchairs and tables were in the center, already filled with couples wearing about the same attire that we were.

Nick escorted me in, where the concierge seated us. We were definitely in a "rich people" crowd. These were the type of people The Senator associated with: wealthy, influential, and powerful.

Biting back a grimace at the sudden rush of bad memories, my bad thoughts were stemmed by the touch of Nick's hand. He glanced at me for a brief second, and looked back at the supposed "wine connoisseur" that was droning on about the importance and health benefits of red wine. I heard a scratching sound, and saw that Nick was tapping the underside of the table. Frowning, I almost told him to stop, but even a spy like Nick wouldn't do something that rash on a whim.

A short thunk and two longer swishes, another short thunk, long swish thunk long swish…

A realization dawned on me. It was Morse code! If Mr. Solomon was there, he would have kicked my ass for not figuring it out earlier.

I listened carefully to the rhythm of the dots and dashes while pretending to pay attention to the connoisseur, and the final message spelled out: "We can leave if you want to."

Hiding my smile, I typed out, "No, it's ok."

"If you're sure. Does that guy's mustache look like a squirrel?"

"Maybe it's just you."

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, we will sample Dormaine Armand Rosseau Pere et Fils Chambertin Clos-de-Beze Grand Cru, the finest wine in all of France."

I sat up straighter and accepted the glass the waiter handed me with a pompous nod. Nick and I clinked glasses, and I sipped at mine. He looked at me with a haughty expression on his face and said, "Not bad."

"Good at best, Johnny dear," I replied, hiding my smile.

...

Bex POV:

I had an awesome time driving the motorcycle. It was more fun (and felt more badass) than speeding down London with a convertible (trust me…I've done it before).

We finally arrived at a nondescript all-black building. I cut the engine and stepped off, surveying the structure.

Then I grinned. "Laser tag, Grant?"

He matched my smile. "Yeah. Gonna totally kick your ass."

"You wish," I said, sprinting off so I could get my equipment first.

"Hey!" I heard Grant yell from behind me. "That's cheating!"

I only laughed in reply, but it was cut off when he swept me up and placed me on his shoulders.

"Okay, _this_ is cheating," I said.

He laughed back and carried me into the building.

Once we had our vests on, I was put in the blue group and Grant was put in the red. We were handed laser guns (they would do, I decided) and sent into a room. The only lights were neon ones that illuminated pillars and walls that we could sneak around.

I grinned and cracked my knuckles, pumped for the challenge. It wasn't even a challenge, really. Combined, Grant and I would knock out all the civilians first, and then we would go for each other.

"And…go!" the overseer guy said over the speakers, flipping the lights off. My vision quickly adjusted, and I hefted my gun to a more comfortable position.

It was completely silent, with occasional screams when someone was shot. I mainly kept to myself, but when I saw people coming my way, I didn't hesitate to take them out.

We should've played this as Gallagher, I mused to myself while sneaking around. Except with pitfalls, obstacles, mirrors, and _real_ laser guns that would slice off anything if you got hit the wrong way.

"Final two," was boomed out over the speakers. I grinned silently as I readied myself. _Let the real games begin._

...

Cammie POV:

"Yes!" was the first thing that came out of my mouth the instant Zach parked the car. I didn't even wait for him to help me out; I stepped out onto the concrete and gazed in excitement and anticipation at the amusement park that lay before me.

He slid an arm around my waist, smiling down at me. I must admit, in the sunlight right then in his leather jacket and green shirt that matched his eyes, he was looking really attractive. "Shall we go, Gallagher Girl?"

I grinned and nodded. "You know me so well."

"I know," he said, an air of arrogance in his voice, walking with me toward the park. "Where do you want to go first?"

Glancing around the park, I saw a Tower of Terror-type building. "How about there?"

Zach barely paled until he covered up with his bad-boy bravado again, and sauntered over to the ride.

...

"That was so fun!" I almost-squealed, walking out of the ride with Zach. Admittedly, my legs were a bit wobbly. Zach had gone completely pale.

Glancing over at him, I said, "How about we stop here…" and helped him down onto a bench. He breathed shallowly for a second. I handed him a bag and looked away for a second while he upchucked into it.

"Wow, Zach, I didn't think you were the delicate type," I said, not resisting the chance to tease him.

He took a few shaky breaths and tried to compose himself, and barely got out, "I'm not."

"Oh really? I seem to recall you screaming quite a bit and turning green on the ride back there."

He scowled at me and walked away.

I caught up to him easily (if he had really wanted to get lost, he could have done it a lot better) and wrapped my arms around his torso. "Zach, I'm sorry for teasing you."

He didn't look at me.

"Zachy-poo," I said, leaning my face up close to his on purpose, knowing that he couldn't resist.

"What," he said grumpily.

"I'm sorry," I whispered in his ear, and thought I saw him flush slightly.

He twisted around to look at me, piercing me with his gaze. Then, he brushed his lips to my forehead softly, and said huskily, "I forgive you."

I giggled. "Good." _Jeez_, my inner thoughts berated me. I was turning into a girly girl. _Oh well_, another part of me answered. _At least only Zach gets to see you like this_.

"Where should we go next?" I said, dragging his hand toward a cluster of attractions.

He grinned evilly at me. "How about that one?" He pointed to a little booth where water guns were set up, and people were happily shooting at targets.

I rose to the challenge in his voice. "You're on!" And with that, we both raced toward the booth.

...

Liz POV:

"This is delicious!" I said, swallowing my sandwich and patting the corner of my mouth with a napkin. "Did you make this yourself?"

Jonas blushed proudly. "Yeah, I did. Don't tell anyone, but," he lowered his voice to a whisper, "I've re-vamped the Cuisine-inator-200."

I laughed and assured him, "I won't."

In fact, Jonas had done quite a good job of setting up a nice picnic for us. We were sitting on a hill overlooking the park on a red-checkered blanket, enjoying the food that had come out of the picnic basket. There was potato salad, cucumber sandwiches, chicken, jello, and to top it all off, lemonade.

"Ack, I don't think I've eaten this much in a while," I said, holding my stomach. "You should cook for me every day, Jonas."

He grinned and said, "What do we do with all the leftover food?"

"I know!" I said, standing up and brushing off my dress. "We can feed it to the ducks!"

Jonas stood up reluctantly. "But will they like it? What if the food just rots in the pond and destroys the ecosystem?"

"Don't worry," I said, excitedly gathering some bread. "I've fed ducks before. They love food."

He followed me to the pond, where there were a few ducks peacefully floating in the water.

"Here ducky ducky!" I said, holding out the bread. I ripped off a few chunks and tossed in to them.

The ducks didn't respond.

I tried again. "I have food for you!" By now, there was a little forest of breadcrumbs in the water. One of them saw it and squawked, paddling over and nibbling at the food.

"There," I said, beaming at Jonas. "They like it."

He smiled and conceded the point. "Okay. Let me have some, too."

Then he tripped. I saw it all as though it were happening in slow motion – his foot landing on an uneven rock, and Jonas' surprised face as he fell face-first into the water.

All I could do was gape at him as he surfaced, spluttering and soaked. "Jonas!"

He spit out some water from his mouth. "Blergh."

...

Cammie POV:

It was now getting dark outside, twilight falling slowly onto the small park as each ride turned its lights on. Zach and I had spent the whole day here, and I couldn't say that it wasn't fun. We had made many memories and I knew in my heart that I would remember this day forever.

"Here, one last ride," he said, pulling my hand through the crowds.

"Zach," I whined. I was carrying a few prizes (teddy bears, mostly won by Zach for me) and I was ready to go home and sleep.

"Come on, Gallagher Girl," he said, hugging me to him for a moment and staring me with those intense eyes, in contrast to the smile tugging on his lips.

I glared right back – blue eyes meeting green – until I was distracted by his head lowering to mine, our noses touching. The same thing I did to him earlier.

"You know you want to." His hot breath warmed my cheeks, and I struggled not to smile.

"Okay," I said, inching even closer to him without touching, and I practically felt the electricity between us.

Right as he closed his eyes in the assumption that he was going to receive a kiss, I tore myself out from his arms and skipped away. "Come on, Zachy-poo! Don't want to be late!"

I heard him growl from a distance away as he caught up to me. "You tease."

I batted my eyelashes at him. "But you love me anyway."

He gave up and laced his fingers into mine. "I know."

"So remind me where we're going, again?"

He pointed. "Right there."

In the middle of the park was a giant ferris wheel, glowing against the night sky with little pricks of light.

I turned to Zach and pushed him. "You're so clichéd!"

He pushed back, but gently. "But you love me anyway."

A warm blush heated my cheeks. It made me feel even better to know that he could make me blush, because I didn't do that easily. Not even for Josh.

* * *

**Um...hi? *hides out of awkwardness***

**I owe you guys an apology for not updating sooner. I'm sorry! I really am trying to write more, so...we'll see how that goes.**

**On another note, happy holidays! I hope you all had a good New Year and wish you all luck in keeping your New Year's resolutions. :) 3 Hugs and kisses xD**

**- BubblesAndThings**


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